It’s not very often that a new corporate identity catches my attention as much as the new American Airlines logo did two months ago. Created by FutureBrand, the iconic eagle logo has evolved into a sleek and stylistic representation of the old mark, while breaking free of it just enough to signify a new beginning and a clear path forward. Job well done! I was truly looking forward to creating a series of stock illustrations featuring this new brand language.
Now that I’ve completed the set, I have to admit that I’ve got a love / hate relationship with it. As I mentioned above, the visual designer in me thinks that it’s visually brilliant. But as a 3d modeler who needed to integrate it into a set of pre-determined objects and situations, it was a royal pain.
The problem is that this logo is extremely linear and vertical – which does not easily fit my existing rendering templates. Another issue is that the logo was designed to look 3d – without actually being 3d! So that means there is a bit of awkwardness at some angles, taking on the appearance of a once multi-dimensional graphic that was smashed flat as a pancake by a passing car.
That led me to try and actually build a 3d model of this logo, but again – it lost all of it’s identity at certain angles and it no longer looked as good as it does straight-0n. I really want to show you what I mean, but I’m too embarrassed to post the pics…
Below is the series of illustrations that I came up with. There aren’t too many here that I feel are truly groundbreaking, as most are mapped onto some of the same objects/templates that I often for my series of stock editorial illustrations. The odd proportions of the mark (as mentioned above ) is the primary reason for this – but I still think these should be useful for blog and travel writers who need American Airlines themed illustrations for their articles.
A pair of large silver handcuffs attached to a gray disc with an American Airlines logo over a gray reflective surface
An American Airlines logo inside of a glass and metal portal window with a globe reflected in the glass
A thick metallic cord connected into a metal and glass circular bezel showing the new American Airlines logo
The new American Airlines standing upright in a frame behind a large silver trophy
A large silver suitcase with a metal and glass American Airlines logo inserted into the side
A large metal and glass American Airlines logo sitting on top of a silver telephone keypad over a dark background
A glass and metal American Airlines logo hovering inside of a large chrome heart shape
A large silver microphone standing upright in front a framed new American Airlines logo
The new American Airlines logo inside of a large silver trophy
Norebbo
My name is Scott, and I started in the design industry over 20 years ago with a bachelors degree in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI. I have an extensive background in both 2D and 3D illustration, and these days, I spend a majority of my time creating aircraft templates and airliner art. I’m basically an airplane dork.
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