Edward Barnes and the Pan Am globe
In 1955 architect Edward Barnes was hired as a design consultant for Pan American Airways just as the company began to introduce commercial jets to the American airline market.
The half wing symbol, a motif that had become increasingly common in aviation and used since 1928, was replaced with a globe with fine curved lines of negative space intersecting it. This was colloquially known as the ‘blue ball’ and was a bold and modernist expression, well ahead of its time that avoided specific geographic representation, instead, favouring an abstract vision of a world without borders, fitting for the dawning of a new age of commercial aviation.
An extended wordmark with dynamic serifs, alluding to speed and distance, was used alongside the logo. In 1957, the wordmark and globe were integrated into a single symbol.
Key Takeaways
The ‘blue ball’ globe
Hired in 1955, Edward Barnes replaced the winged symbol with an abstract globe of curved lines, a modernist vision of a world without borders.
Ivan Chermayeff’s 1970 revision
With the arrival of the 747, Chermayeff converted the globe to outlines and paired it with a Helvetica wordmark, supported by the ‘Pan Am’s World’ campaign.
A short-lived identity
Amid the 1973 oil crisis, Pan Am returned to its earlier dynamic wordmark, using it until its bankruptcy in 1991.
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Continue reading to discover Chermayeff & Geismar’s 1970 Pan Am identity and the ‘Pan Am’s World’ campaign →
