Turkish AirlinesCopied

Turkish Airlines flies to more destinations than any other carrier, over 300 places in more than 120 countries. After what it called phenomenal growth over 15 years, and with its new hub at Istanbul Airport opening fully, the airline decided to refresh its visual direction for its 85th anniversary.

Imagination won the work in 2018 after a six-way competitive pitch. The brief was to bring the brand's values to life across the whole customer journey, so rather than starting with a logo the agency defined what it called an experience identity, named flow: travel that is effortless, seamless and uplifting, inspired by Turkey's energy and culture. Imagination chief executive Patrick Reid said the agency believed in experience as a force to change behaviour. Seda Kalyoncu, senior vice president of corporate communications, said the agency connected on both an emotional and a rational level.

Field Marketing set the timing against the full-service launch of Istanbul Airport, the single largest infrastructure project in Turkey's history. Reid said the agency had considered both the airline's heritage and its ambitious future plans, hoping to impress long-standing customers and new travellers alike, while Kalyoncu tied the appointment to the next stage of the airline's global growth and expansion plan. Applying flow to touch points from the logo to in-flight interiors is the right ambition for an airline whose product is a connection, since most of its passengers will meet the brand in a transfer corridor rather than on a billboard.

The logo kept the white wild goose but moved from the old blue and red to a stronger crimson, with a sans serif wordmark on a red field. Flow was applied from livery and boarding passes to the Istanbul lounge, advertising and cabin interiors, and the branding fills an airport expected to handle around 200 million passengers a year.

Transform praised seamlessness as an intelligent choice in a category known for confusing journeys. Fair enough, but the visible change is modest: redder, flatter, a cleaner wordmark. Flow is a strategy word every airline could claim. What makes it work is scale; a brand that owns the world's largest new airport hub does not need a radical logo.