THE NEW BA IDENTITY
BA’s new identity was created by London-based Newell and Sorrell, (they had been working on the ID since August 1995).
Mr Ayling was quoted as saying, 'British Airways remains proudly British, but perhaps we need to lose some of our old fashioned Britishness and take on board some of the new British traits. Abroad, people see this country as friendly, diverse and open to other cultures. We must better reflect that.'
Identity consultants Newell and Sorrell added in their release, 'Newell and Sorrell's concept expresses the idea of British Airways as a citizen of the world and it is based on two powerful propositions. Firstly, that British Airways is not just a British airline with an increasingly global reach, but a business of and for the world which was born and is based in
However, British Airways were keen to hold on to some traditions. The goodwill and equity attached to the British Airways brand are strong to discard, and the lessons learned by BA through the 1980s also had to remain on the minds of its executives.
What was vital to the new identity was its international feel. This was indicative of BA’s desire to be a global player. Also, according to BA it showed
Given the new direction of BA at the time a new identity was imperative. Identity professionals knew all too well how new corporate liveries are far more than cosmetics or publicity stunts, but form new images and impressions of the organization. There was also a danger that BA’s old identity had become stagnant. At the least it would become inappropriate given the new vision.
In Mr Aylings’ words, 'It goes much deeper than the paint on the aircraft or the ink on our publications. It is the physical manifestation of a fundamental review of our mission, our values and our corporate goals.'
John Sorrell, Chairman of Newell and Sorrell, said, 'The new identity positions British Airways as a citizen of the world. It is an inspirational way of making the idea of the new British Airways accessible to everyone and acts as a tangible promise of the changes the company will be making as it becomes one of the world's leading 21st century companies.'
"A major review of the company's strategic direction,' said Newell and Sorrell, 'based on extensive international research amongst customers, revealed that they wished British Airways to be "global" and "caring" in its operations, personality and behaviour.'
Marketing-wise, Newell and Sorrell put a greater emphasis on one-to-one marketing and created a "personal" feel for each of BA’s planes, transferring the one-to-one concept into part of the new identity.
To use the advertising hype used by Newell and Sorrell, "The aim is to present British Airways as an airline of the world, born and based in Britain, with a community of people passionately committed to serving the communities of the world.'
Changes to the identity included the softening of the colours. BA claimed that this was done to reflect the colours on the Union Jack more closely, but more likely softer colours were found to be closely compatible with the youthful, cosmopolitan image the airline was trying to portray. The royal warrant on the aeroplanes' tails disappeared - again a signal that BA did not want to be associated with the beefeater and black cab image, but that of an innovative
The incised, formal typeface of the old BA font (Optima) was replaced with a softer one, designed by Rodney Mylius at Newell and Sorrell in conjunction with Monotype. While still formal, it appeared rounder and warmer. It has four seriffed and four sans serif cuts. (Please see separate section of this site for information on the font used)
The "Speedmarque" accompanying 'British Airways', according to BA, evolved from the Speedwing symbol on the fuselage of the former identity, introduced in 1984. The Speedwing itself was a development of the BOAC Speedbird.
The most significant aspect of the new identity, which made its way to all BA media, including wallets and baggage carts, were the world images created by artists around the world. These world images, according to Newell and Sorrell, were part of the concept of bringing people together.
BA were quoted as saying that fifty world images were planned, although there were only thirty one used including the Pause To Remember scheme and not counting the variants within each Utopia design. There were also three extra designs commissioned but they never actually made it as far as a plane! They also claimed that this was one of the largest arts commissions ever. (The various schemes, details and variants can be found also within this site.)
Newell and Sorrell went around the world once it had the concept for the world gallery for the airline. Visits to cultural attachés and galleries were followed up by visits to weavers, calligraphers, ceramicists and painters, known and unknown, in different countries.
The cost of the world images and overall design amounted to £60M including their implementation. BA claimed that the money would have been spent anyway on regular repainting and restocking of stationery, even if the identity had not been changed. This did not go down very well in some quarters. (See section on this site The Downside Of Utopia). The change was supposed to have been phased in over three years "to take full advantage of natural wastage and economies of scale.' For example, only 12 images were meant to be introduced each year until 2000 when all 50 would have been in place. This of course never happened.
Newell and Sorrell also developed a new approach to photography, focusing on 'documentary style shots of people from around the world,' for use in the printed media.
The international theme continued in BA’s branding efforts. TV advertisements were set in Africa, North America and China with the one unifying idea of "emotional moments", while music arranged for radio spots by Dave Stewart, formerly of the Eurythmics, 'featured pairings of a Greek bouzouki and cello, a Moroccan snake charmer and a jazz trumpeter, a sitar and piano, and pan pipes and a violin.' The advertising was handled by M&C Saatchi. The TVC was directed by Gerard de Thame and written by M&C Saatchi's creative director Simon Dicketts.
