I happened to see the new Air India logo and livery identity over the weekend and honestly, I am underwhelmed. I have been thinking whether to write about it for some time and finally decided that I should speak up as a designer who has been involved with the Tata brand since 1999 - the first time when the new Tata identity was unveiled. Here are my thoughts:
- The new logotype is neither dynamic nor grand. The custom font just looks “spread-out” as if it’s relaxing. In contrast, the current one seems fast and dynamic.
- The crimson background gradient looks good but the arch gold colours don’t really stand out. Also the same Crimson colour doesn’t seem to have been used in the logo with the white background.
- The gold arch - there is some debate out there about whether it is a bird, or an arch. Whatever it is, it just looks out of place, floating without any anchoring or relation to the type.
- I don’t know if it is true but I read somewhere that Tata dropped a million dollars to get this done from UK. A million dollars!! If that is true, I question the wisdom behind it. I really don’t think the output is worth it. Any Indian design agency worth their salt could have delivered better results in a fraction of the price. Or any design student would probably have done the same thing at the price of their annual college fees. I argued the same thing with my designer friends back in 1999 about the new Tata logo in the washed-out blue. The firm in question then was Wolff Olins. But back then I was just out of school. I just don’t understand the Tata affinity towards British designers.
To sum up, my humble opinion is that the Tata logo could have been given a facelift like Coca Cola has undergone over the years, without resorting to dramatic redesign and that too through an Indian identity design firm, of whom there are many who can deliver a much better result at a much more reasonable price.
Please note that the opinion above is purely personal and has no relation whatsoever with anyone or any entity that I am associated with.
Technical Product Owner & Agile Program Manager
1 年I too agree with you. When I first saw it was not at all refreshing and it seems was done for sake of doing. Spending 1M for this output doesn't justify but not sure how this was sold and what is the story behind it....