The latest airline of the Lufthansa Group to get a fresh new look is Austrian. The airline went through a rebrand only a few years ago, adopting a more friendly, softer approach with the addition of ‘My’ to its brand image. However, in a bid to make a more ‘digital-appropriate’ brand, the airline has removed the hand-scripted ‘My’ and opted for a bold, contemporary, simple look. This will make a lot of people happy, including ourselves.
Small-scale adjustments are being carried out against the backdrop of the planned relaunch of the Website and the app at the turn of the year 2018/19. “Digitalization is changing our lives. Our products, our brand and our company are also making themselves fit for the digital future. The realignment of our branding is another important step in this direction”, explains Andreas Otto, Member of the Management Board and CCO of Austrian Airlines.
Both core elements of the brand image, namely the chevron and the wordmark “Austrian” are being modernized to enhance their effect. This will particularly increase the long-distance effect on aircraft and billboards. In the meantime, 80 percent of Internet use takes place on a mobile basis. For this reason, particular attention is being attached to ensure that the logo is more easily and clearly recognizable on mobile devices and smart watches. According to the press release, the brand values of individuality, competence and ‘Austrianess’ will remain untouched.
Adjustments made in the digital domain will be gradually transferred to the entire brand environment of Austrian Airlines. Accordingly, all customer touchpoints and the entire signage on the airports will be adapted. The livery of the fleet will also be (very) gradually adjusted, estimated to take approximately 7 years.
We do like what the airline has done, a bolder tail fin, and larger billboard logotype will simplify and strengthen the brand image. The Austrian salutation “Servus” will remain on the aircraft belly.
However, the airline has now brought its livery in line with other legacy carriers. Cathay Dragon, Qantas and even next door neighbour Swiss, fellow Lufthansa Group carrier have very similar liveries. While the carrier’s aim is to make the brand more evident, from the skies these liveries could be mistaken for multiple other airlines, so this rebrand may help, or could it actually create more brand confusion?
TheDesignAir 
The previous “rebrand” was a bit feeble. They probably got their ad agency to come up with it. It was at best a campaign, and not a brand. And it’s sad that most marketing people don’t know the difference.
The new branding is much stronger, although that shape is so generic and meh.
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind? That logo mark does.
I’m not fond of the aircraft windows punching their way through the enlarged letters spelling-out Austrian. And I’ll miss the ‘shadow’ of the chevron on both the tail and the fuselage. It’s not a bad livery re-do, but it’s certainly not very interesting. (But then, neither is Austrian…)
Instead of the livery going from dull to interesting,it’s completely the opposite.The scheme they had in place during their Airbus A340 years and then later with the blue underbelly on their B777s was so much more eye catching. Never mind all the fancy gatgetry and new branding technology, the look of the fleet is, in my opinion, extremely important. But then as mentioned by Pukoh earlier, my opinion is very much like Austrian’s plastic bag in the wind effect!
I wish they had gone back to the original simple AUSTRIAN livery from the 70’s….simple and elegant.
http://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/7/9/9/0409997.jpg?v=v40
The shadow of the chevron was a very unique look on Austrian’s aircrafts. This newer livery is so plain and boring. They should have kept those shadows on the newer work too.