Graphic Design That Works

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United

Today:

The present logo

While the United logo today is instantly recognizable worldwide, it under-

went a number of distinct changes before reaching its present form.

the evolution of a logo

1926-1933:

Each of United’s four

predecessor companies

had its own logo.

When United became

the management

company for those

carriers, it established

a bar-and-circle logo

with the bar containing

the words “United

Airlines” and the circle

housing each of the

four carrier’s logos.

1934:

The bar-and-circle logo

is modified. The circle

now contains a map of

the United States

inscribed with lines

denoting air routes.

1934-1940:

With no standards

manual to guide usage,

logo designs flourish.

Each one varies radically

from the others.

1936:

In an attempt to

standardize its logo, the

company adopts a red,

white, and blue shield.

Graphic Design That Works

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1940s:

Variations of the shield logo appear. In some cases

the company’s name appears at the top of the

shield; in others, centered below a star. In still oth-

ers, the shield is stretched, slanted, and even

sprouts wings.

1992:

After surveying customers, United determines it

needs a more elegant, understated image with

international appeal. The design firm CKS Partners

retains the U symbol but replaces Saul Bass’s sans

serif logotype with a more traditional serif face.

1997:

As part of a new

branding campaign,

Pentagram Design

updates the United logo.

It introduces new,

cropped versions of the

U symbol, creates a

bolder typeface for the

company’s name, and

drops the word “airlines”

from the logotype.

1960s:

Though not an official

logo, this slanted spire,

created by designer

Raymond Loewy, is used

on United’s aircraft tails

and begins to replace

the shield. Later, the

bold, sans serif typeface

used to spell out

United’s name is

replaced by the more

delicate Bookman

typeface.

So recognizable has the mark become that the company

encourages its designers to incorporate the logo’s U shape and

68-degree tilt into everything from navigational buttons on the

company website to the shape of the airline’s coffee cups.

1973:

United commissions the

designer Saul Bass to

develop a logo that will

convey leadership and

innovation in air travel.

The result is a stylized

red and blue U symbol—

later nicknamed “the

tulip”—and a custom

logotype featuring bold,

sans serif letters.

1998:

To distinguish different classes of service within the

airline, Pentagram Design develops a new color

scheme. Here, the company’s name appears in black,

while the name of the services appear in gray.

1970:

The shield logo all but

disappears. Without a

new logo, United’s iden-

tity becomes tied to its

“Fly the friendly skies”

slogan.

Mid-1980s:

Variations of

Saul Bass’s design

appear. In some cases,

the word “airlines” is

dropped; in others,

letters are squeezed

together. Occasionally,

the official logotype is

scrapped altogether,

replaced by the

company’s name

set in Bookman.

1946-1958:

This slanted version of

the shield logo becomes

the most commonly and

consistently used.

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