ethiopi an air brand manual
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ethiopian
the new spirit of africa - ethiopia
the introduction
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the culture & heritage
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the essence of the - original mark
the problem
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the versatality of the - new mark
the solution
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the generation of - a system
the colors
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the typography
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the pattern
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the brand positioning
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the abundance of - applications
the aircraft
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the corporate identity
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the advertisements
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the digital media
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the in-flight experience /menus
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the in-flight experience /magazine
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the boarding pass
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the other elements
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the take aways
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ethiopian
The new spirit of Africa
introduc t ion ethiopia is africa’ s oldest independent country and
its second largest in terms of population. Apart from a five-year occupation by Mussolini’s Italy, it has never been colonized. It has a unique cultural heritage, being the home of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church one of the oldest Christian churches and a monarchy that ended only in the coup of 1974. It served as a symbol of African independence throughout the colonial period, and was a founder member of the United Nations and the African base for many of the international organizations.
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the culture & people Ethiopia has many indigenous languages (84
Ethiopian Orthodox Church. There is a also large
according to the Ethnologue, 77 according to the
portions of the Muslim population with others
1994 census), most of them Afro. English is the
adhering to an ancient form of Judaism.
most widely spoken foreign language and is the medium of instruction in secondary schools and universities. Amharic was the language of primary school instruction, but has been replaced in many areas by local languages such as Oromifa and Tigrinya. Ethiopia is a multi-cultural and multi ethnic country. Religion is a major influence in Ethiopian life and nearly half the population belongs to the
With such a diverse population and willingness to be open, Ethiopia is has a vast array of subsidiaries to delve into. There is so much to draw from and so much to represent that it was necessary to narrow down the country and work with symbolism and detailing in terms of representation.
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ethiopian
The essence of the
the problem The main issue with the original mark was the fact
had to keep in mind the fact that Africa is one of
that it served to be outdated and not encapsulating
the second largest continents in then world with
Ethiopian heritage in the best manner possible.
a diverse population and rich cultural heritage
The mark without ‘Ethiopian’ could serve to mean
booming from all corners. Ethiopia, even though
anything and is therefore, unsuccessful within the
a very important and large part of the continent
applications. In my opinion, the more successful
has it’s own story to say with it’s people and long
part of this logo mark are the tiny details within the
standing heritage and that is exactly what I wanted
type and ‘Ethiopian’ written in traditional Amharic
to encapsulate from the old logo mark to the new.
language giving it that edge. For the re brand, I
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The versality of the
the solut ion For the new logo, I decided to generate a mark from one of Ethiopia’s most prominent features—textiles and mark making. Indigenous Ethiopian natives have a very distinct manner of marking their bodies. This is an elaborate part of local culture and also signifies everything from beauty to adulthood or are even sometimes considered as marks of belonging. I used a combination of this beautiful aspect with their rich handmade pattern making on their textiles. It was really interesting to combine the two major elements and create a new mark. One that contains the versatility of the Ethiopian natives, but also has the power to look forward and provide them with the poise that they deserve. It naturally seemed most appropriate to include all colors of the Ethiopian flag within the logo mark. The only significant change I made was over saturating the colors so that it worked with my main idea of giving it a more modern look.
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The generation of
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0A754B
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DEB247
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The green recalls the land. It represents the richness and fertility of our land as well as hope.
Yellow stands for hope. It represents religious freedom along with peace.
Red is symbolic of strength. It represents the sacrifice of our fathers, who spilled their blood in defense of Ethiopia
the colors The flag’s tri color scheme has existed since the
The colors work together in the three color variation
early 19th century, and the colors red, yellow, and
and in a monochromatic manner as seen within the
green have carried special importance since the
patterns. Each system represents a different sector
17th century. Even though the colors are derived
of the company showing elevation in position along
from Ethiopia’s flag, there is a refinement in shade
with mutual respect and pride. This color scheme
to show it’s progressive side. The colors also vary in
progresses as one moves through layers of the
hue and form different systems just to portray the
applications (primary, secondary, tertiary) but they
limitlessness of Ethiopia but keeping a balance in
are kept cohesive enough to portray the main logo
mind since all colors are so vastly representative.
mark and title.
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ethiopian
the typography I chose the type so that it could coincide with the geometric shapes of the mark and would be able to mimic it’s pointed corners and ends. It is also reminiscent of Ethiopian culture in the sense that it could be perceived as steady while also being pleasing to the eye. ‘United Sans’ is the type used exclusively for the logo and would not be repeated much within other print type. ‘Foundry Gridnik’ is a complimentary secondary typeface similar, yet less intense, used for subheads whereas ‘Px Grotesk’ would be used for all the copy text. All three typefaces could constitute as a family in the sense that they all have fine edges and structural sides. The type is also set in such a manner so as to mimic the Ethiopian language and make it as familiar as possible for the natives while also making it universal enough for incoming tourists from the world.
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primary
united sans semiext light medium bold
EA secondary
foundry gridnik ot2
EA regular medium bold
tertiary
px grotesk regular bold screen
EA
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the pat tern A lot of the generated stereotypes are associated with Ethiopia and it’s heritage. With the re branded mark, I am trying to break all those cultural stereotypes and give Ethiopia a new and refined look—one that can portray their vast abundance of culture with an additional kick of grace. This is why I chose to generate a pattern with reference to Ethiopia’s old and new ways on mark marking and have it facing upwards to represent a ‘forward looking’ motion. The mark could be incorporated in a variety of manners in terms of angles, positioning, sizes and colors. It give the applications a new perspective, while also allowing the mark to stand on it’s own. Besides that, all three color’s have been incorporated within the main mark to for respect for it’s roots.
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the brand posi t ioning The new logo mark for Ethiopian Air is designed in such a way so as to look forward while also engulfing the rich and vast cultural heritage and mark making techniques of the natives of Ethiopia mixed with the pattern making skills of Ethiopian textiles. It is designed to have a universal aspect to it while also giving Ethiopian natives the poise they deserve.
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The abundance of
the aircraft
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the corporate ident i t y For the print applications there is a common format in terms of placement of information and logo. The back side however has a mix in pattern and color variation which in positioning varies in terms of rank/position/placement (aircraft or ground staff) of employee and personnel. It serves as a break from the tri–color variation of the logo that is omnipresent throughout the brand and helps blend in the mark to create a cohesive system. Brand positioning is created through this system to push my main idea of portraying the vast culture and people of Ethiopia in a modern light through a mark making.
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the advert isements The copies or magazine ad’s are meant to represent the abundance of culture and experiences to witness within Ethiopia that are been explored each day and ‘connecting’ with those aspects. The subtext mentions all the new flights being added daily within it’s daily route. People are known to assume that Ethiopian Air flies only within Africa but it is an international carrier that flies worldwide. The airline’s identity and ad composition is meant to cater to the universal audience as well as the locals of the continent in terms of highlighting everything Ethiopia, specifically has to offer. The photography is meant to compliment Ethiopian landscapes, people and all their old and new mark making techniques. All the images would be placed in a particular manner to steer away from stereotypes one would normally think of when one thinks or Africa. Furthermore, the mark is used in different manner which would be carried forward in all of the airline’s print publications.
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the digi tal medi a The web is made to be simple, clean and to the
other digital medium within the aircraft. The landing
point. Keeping in track with the colors of the logo
page is straightforward and clean—one that is easy
mark, each one of them is used as a highlight
to navigate for the user and is in sync with the
in equal amounts to give the users a feel of the
system as a whole. It is set in terms of the user’s
identity rather than overwhelm them with the colors
needs and opens to the ‘bookings’ page with
and mark. The app would also follow similar guide-
‘check-in’ and ‘upgrade’ options easily available.
lines and would be in sync with the web and any
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the in flight experience / menus
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ethiopian
in flight experience / magaz i ne The in flight magazine’s name is derived from
on imagery that highlights Ethiopia’s beauty and
Ethiopian air’s ‘Sheba’ miles. It seemed appropriate
colors. The logo mark is put in within the headers
enough the tie in the elements and also adhered to
the give the reader’s a hint of the primary logo mark
Ethiopia in general. Sheba magazine would serve
but within the spreads itself the mark has been
to be a quarterly publication and Ethiopian Air’s
extended to create variation through repetition and
official publication. Like all other print materials,
color along with the secondary and tertiary type.
the main pattern has been knocked out and placed
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the boarding pass The Boarding Pass for Ethiopian Air is designed in
that would be similar to the color of the menu and
a sleek manner to coincide with the magazine ads,
other in flight magazines .
web and other applications. A clear hierarchy has been established in terms of showing the ‘timings’ and ‘gate numbers.’
Business class would be the color yellow, economy would be green and and any of the new sections such as economy premium or first class would be
Color’s also vary depending on which part of the
red. This would establish and clear system for the
plane the passenger would be flying through and
in flight applications as an entity.
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the other elements These applications utilize the core elements of the brand through repetition and color. Coffee is one of Ethiopia’s specialties and something they pride themselves on so I felt as though it would be necessary to have it as one of the applications. The airline credit cards would progress in color as one progressed in miles with yellow being of the highest order. These elements tie in all the systems while creating another variation in terms of the pattern but without drawing away from the logo mark. The stamp would be used as a seal for all of the official documents and would serve as a conclusive order for print applications.
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the take aways Ethiopia has come a long way since it’s days of
a more classier and forward looking direction
colonialism. It is built from the ground up with
of things. Even though the logo mark might be
varying rich and sage ideals. It has had it’s ups and
conceived as a simple one, it is what the logo mark
downs but the people are still it’s people and their
can do through it’s applications that makes the
roots and traditions have remained the same. It is
difference. It’s colors, formations and versatility is
a country built on culture and in today’s day and
what drives the mark.
age, it is necessary to highlight the brand in the best manner possible through Ethiopia’s eyes. It needs to built from the group up and encapsulate the country but also not take away from the grand scheme of things of having a universal aspect.
There is so much to learn from different countries and Ethiopia has some beautiful landscapes and cultures. It deserves to have representation that matches it’s level. People around the world should know what it has to offer rather than stereotypes
The current branding of Ethiopian Air works for the
dictating for them and this is why I chose to make
cultural aspect, but not for the long term manner
Ethiopian Air the way I did.
of doing things. This re brand is moving towards