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Title
American Airlines

Designers
Heinz Waibl, Massimo Vignelli

Firm
Unimark International

Year
1967

Client
American Airlines

Medium
Logotype

Notes
Unimark was appointed to design American Airline’s corporate identity by Henry Dreyfuss, a famous industrial designer who was hired to develop the interior of the planes.

Massimo Vignelli and Heinz Waibl set the logotype in plain and legible Haas Helvetica and made it half-red and half-blue to use the colours of USA’s national identity. “We wanted to make one word of American Airlines. There were no other logos then that were two colours of the same word. So we took the space away and split it by colour. We proceeded by logic, not emotion. Not trends and fashions” (M. Vignelli).

A double ‘A’ monogram version featuring a stylised eagle was also used on the tail of the planes. The graphic design of the eagle was attributed to Vignelli for many years, until he revealed that he actually refused to draw it: “I wanted the eagle to be real. It has to have every feather. If you do an eagle, do it with the dignity of an eagle. Don’t stylise the eagle and make a cartoon out of it” (M. Vignelli). However, American Airlines pilots threatened to go on strike because they wanted the eagle since it always symbolised the company, so the office of Henry Dreyfuss drew it.

The preference for a plain logotype without the eagle reveals Vignelli’s design attitude at best. In fact, Vignelli was above all a great typographer. He was able to make a typeface expressing all its strength and character. He always focused on the very function that the graphics had to perform — so preferring plain typography, where nothing more was needed — because aware that simplicity is always stronger than complexity. And by focusing on clarity and simplicity and then choosing a plain typeface instead of a stylised symbol, this design also represents an expression of that timelessness, so long praised by Vignelli.

 “Fifty years ago (early ’60s), there were very few logos in general. Somebody started to do logos and people started thinking that logos were important. Now there is a plethora and so many don’t make sense. You see the pages of the sponsors of a concert of an exhibition and, at the bottom, there are 50 different logos. It’s ridiculous. A word is so much better” (M. Vignelli).

The logotype and identity system designed by Unimark lasted until 2013, when a new identity developed by Futurebrand was adopted raising a lot of critiques. It was judged by many as “one of the worst branding decisions ever made” (Alissa Walker). Vignelli in particular was very upset about it: “There was no need to change. It’s been around for 45 years, the whole world knows it. This is the typical mistake that company presidents make: ‘I’ll change the logo and the company will look new.’ But it’s the same company. They’re not going to solve their problems. I will not be here to make a bet, but this new logo won’t last another 25 years” (M. Vignelli).

This was one of the projects through which Massimo Vignelli mostly contributed to the fortune and fame of Helvetica in the USA.

Title
American Airlines

Designers
Heinz Waibl, Massimo Vignelli

Firm
Unimark International

Year
1967

Client
American Airlines

Medium
Logotype

Notes
Unimark was appointed to design American Airline’s corporate identity by Henry Dreyfuss, a famous industrial designer who was hired to develop the interior of the planes.

Massimo Vignelli and Heinz Waibl set the logotype in plain and legible Haas Helvetica and made it half-red and half-blue to use the colours of USA’s national identity. “We wanted to make one word of American Airlines. There were no other logos then that were two colours of the same word. So we took the space away and split it by colour. We proceeded by logic, not emotion. Not trends and fashions” (M. Vignelli).

A double ‘A’ monogram version featuring a stylised eagle was also used on the tail of the planes. The graphic design of the eagle was attributed to Vignelli for many years, until he revealed that he actually refused to draw it: “I wanted the eagle to be real. It has to have every feather. If you do an eagle, do it with the dignity of an eagle. Don’t stylise the eagle and make a cartoon out of it” (M. Vignelli). However, American Airlines pilots threatened to go on strike because they wanted the eagle since it always symbolised the company, so the office of Henry Dreyfuss drew it.

The preference for a plain logotype without the eagle reveals Vignelli’s design attitude at best. In fact, Vignelli was above all a great typographer. He was able to make a typeface expressing all its strength and character. He always focused on the very function that the graphics had to perform — so preferring plain typography, where nothing more was needed — because aware that simplicity is always stronger than complexity. And by focusing on clarity and simplicity and then choosing a plain typeface instead of a stylised symbol, this design also represents an expression of that timelessness, so long praised by Vignelli.

 “Fifty years ago (early ’60s), there were very few logos in general. Somebody started to do logos and people started thinking that logos were important. Now there is a plethora and so many don’t make sense. You see the pages of the sponsors of a concert of an exhibition and, at the bottom, there are 50 different logos. It’s ridiculous. A word is so much better” (M. Vignelli).

The logotype and identity system designed by Unimark lasted until 2013, when a new identity developed by Futurebrand was adopted raising a lot of critiques. It was judged by many as “one of the worst branding decisions ever made” (Alissa Walker). Vignelli in particular was very upset about it: “There was no need to change. It’s been around for 45 years, the whole world knows it. This is the typical mistake that company presidents make: ‘I’ll change the logo and the company will look new.’ But it’s the same company. They’re not going to solve their problems. I will not be here to make a bet, but this new logo won’t last another 25 years” (M. Vignelli).

This was one of the projects through which Massimo Vignelli mostly contributed to the fortune and fame of Helvetica in the USA.