Readying for the imminent American Airlines rebranding
Photo Caption: American Airlines posted a video late last year teasing viewers to what's under the covered-up tail.
Skift Take
American’s merger may be more pressing news that its redesign, but change the iconic look too much and the airline risks becoming all but recognizable from the company it’s been for the past 80+ years.
Follow the author at @FromeDome.
In a recent New York Magazine, Paul Ford writes about “crowdsmashing” — the newish phenomenon in which people revolt online when companies crap up their branding. His examples include the “Gap Logo Debacle of 2010″ and the University of California’s recent logo fiasco. Ford explains:
People don’t like their stories messed with. You expect a certain continuity, and when the opposite happens—Dylan going electric, season two of Friday Night Lights—you react out of proportion to external measures of the offense but very much in proportion to the internal anxiety and anger you might feel.
Will we experience another crowdsmashing soon? American Airlines is expected to unveil a new brand image later this month. And this doesn’
