Handel Gothic - United Airlines

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United AirlinesAn O utsiders View of

Corporate Design

by

Izabel F. Barros

Diane Jacob sen

J. M elani e Joh


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Preface

United Airlines and the C ommercial Aviation M arket

Design Policy Mea nings and Implications

Looking for Corporate Identity - The Blue and Red Era

Looking for Brand Personali ty - The Blue and G ray Era

Looking for Image Consistency - A N ew Era?

Final Critique a nd Suggestions, A n O utsider Point of View

References

Table of Contents

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Case studies and reports about design policy has been a task mostly focused on aindividual corpo rate id entity program or o n a product development philosophy. In rarecases, it is possible to find extra data about its extensions on the various business aspectsthat are affected by a cohesive design policy or about its progress overtime.

Even in big corporation environments, where design is part of their culture, some questionsabout the design process and peculiarities are left without answers in the end.

W hat motivates a c ompany to establish a design po licy?

W hat drive changes in an established policy? Ho w does a concept change w hen it isintegrated into the compa ny like the central nervous system is in a body?

How is it possible to be done while growth occurs?

W hich are the relations between a corporate identity prog ram and its prod ucts?

W hat other factors besides identity does a compa ny have to signa l changes?Those questions amongst others, made us look at the actual market for a company inwhich the investiga tion of their design policy through time could lead to answers. Thissearch lead us to one of the largest commercial airline in the world - United Airlines.

M ost of the research w as done through personal interviews and phone calls. Supportivedata was acquired through secondary research.

The primary goal of this case report is to contribute to design literature, by applying theexisting case study methods to understand the design philosophy of a commodity productcorporation.

Secondarily, in understanding the evolutionary process of a corporate identity and itsperception, both by the internal and external publics, can contribute to the companysstrategic plans.

Preface


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United Airlines

and the Commercial

Aviation M arket


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O n Ma y 15 , 1 9 1 8 , the US Government launched air mail delivery operations between

N ew York and W ashington-DC using Army airplanes and p ilots. Soon the task was given

to the Post O ffice Department and air mail service started b etween N ew York, Cleveland

and Chica go in 19 1 9 . O ne year later, the route was extended to Omaha, and from

there to San Francisco in September, 1920.

In February of 1925, the Congress decided that private enterprise should carry out the

responsibility of expanding air mail delivery and approved an air mail act authorizing the

Postmaster Genera l to aw ard co ntracts for air mail service. Three companies were

awarded contracts and quickly started regular flights covering the main routes in the US at

that time. Varney Air Lines, ow ned by W orld W ar I Army pilot W alter T. Varney, bega n

operations on April 6 , 19 2 6 between Elko, Nevad a, and Pasco, W ashington. PacificAir Transport, organized by Vern Gorst, was also awarded the contract to carry air mail

from Los Angeles and Seattle in September 15 , 1 9 2 6 . G orst was short of cap ital in the

beginning and contacted W ells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. W illiam A. Pat Patterson

answered Gorsts request and authorized a $5,000 loan for Pacific Air Transport at the

same time, becoming the unofficia l financia l consultant of Paci fic Air Transport. The third

company, and the largest, w as Boeing Air Transport, w hich w on the route b etween

Chica go and San Francisco. Boeing Airplane Company designed and built a new

plane, the 40 A, to op erate faster and more economically. W ith a cabin for two

pa ssengers, Boeing Air Transport began operations in July of 19 2 7 .

Beginning of US Commercial Aviation Industry

W illiam A. Patterson in 19 26


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It was in this environment of a fragmented mail services industry that, in 1928, Boeing Air

Transport acquired Pacific Air Transport and formed Boeing Airplane & Transport

Corporation. This new organization eventually would become United Aircraft & Transport

Co rporation in 1 9 2 9 . In 19 3 0 , Varney Air Lines and N ational Air Transport, which

operated between Chicag o and N ew York, were merged b y United, turning the company

into the N ation s first coa st-to-coa st delivery system under one ow nership.

As a natural consequence of corporate consolidation, United Airlines was founded in

March, 1931 as a management company to unify operations of the four airlines - Boeing

Air Transport, Paci fic Air Transport, Varney A irlines and N ationa l Air Transport.

In 1933, under the leadership of Pat Patterson as Vice President, United approved the

employment of worlds first female cabin attendants in flights between San Francisco and

Chicago, establishing Uniteds profile as a visionary company, capable of managingchange in uncharted waters.

Birth of United

In 19 64 Boeing 727 made its

debut in airline service through

United.


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O ne year later, United turned into an operating company. Und er the leadership of

Patterson, as its first president, United became the N ation s most progressive ca rrier,

launching innovations like the first flight kitchen in 1936.

W orld W ar II arrived a nd United became the wo rkhorse of military operations,

particularly in the Pacific arena, establishing a new challenge for the corporation - the

Paci fic. It was the first to fly between the US Paci fic coa st and Ha waii . This experience

contributed to United acquiring the rights for the Hawaiian route in 1946.

In the late forties and early fifties, the US commercial aviation industry expanded on

technology d eveloped for military planes in W orld W ar II. The DC-6 w as the first military

plane adapted to commercial flights. Later, with DC-7 innovations United was the first to

fly nonstop, coast-to-coast, reaffirming its progressive philosophy and establishing for the

first time its growth through geographic coverage approach.

The DC-8, the first civil jet-powered aircraft, was launched into service on September 18,

1959, marking the initial move by commercial airliners toward jet operations.

In 1961, United merged with Capital Airlines, the nations sixth largest air carrier at the

time. This merger made United the worlds largest airline in terms of total passengers and

revenue miles flown annually.

In 1963, George Keck, who joined the company as an industrial engineer in 1946,succeed ed Pat Patterson as president. As a result of a corporate reorga niza tion, UAL, Inc.

was born in 1969 with the objective of increasing earnings and profitability. The new

companys strategy was to supplement its existing products with complementary services.

This expanded their philosophy o f grow th through g eograp hic coverage to grow th through

complementary services coverage as well. To achieve that, the Board of Directors

decided to consider hotels as a strategic addition to the companys asset portfolio. In

In 1930 United innovated with

the first team of air-hostesses to

attend air-travelers needs.


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August 19 7 0 , UA L, Inc. a nd W estern International Ho tels merged . Edw ard E. C arlson,

the Chairman o f W estern International H otels, w as named President of the Board of

Directors of UAL, Inc. and CEO of United Airlines. This reaffirmed Uniteds practice o f

choosing strong personalities as stewards of its destiny.

During the first years of United as a corporation, the basic elements of graphic

identifica tion were present through the works of Zay Smith and Raymond Loew y. In Zay

Smiths work, the blue and red colors were presented in the shape of a heraldic shield as

a symbol with the name United in it in a typographic style of san-serif-italic typeface. As a

complementary work, Raymond Loewy updated Zay Smiths work giving it a sense of

modernity. United attempted to have a cohesive imag e several times, but none of them

succeeded in reflecting the corporations integrity.

Above and counter-clockwise,

Raymond Loewy, the corporate

identity he created for United

and the first Boeing 727 painted

with it.

Above and right, Zay Smith logo

for United.


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Design Policy

M eanings and

Implications


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At this point it is important to clarify what we understand as a design policy for an airline,

its meanings and implications and what constitutes the components of an integral

corporate identity. O f equal impo rtance is the issue of how design ca n be used as a

strategic tool inside the company. Analysis of diverse eras through a common framework,

creates opportunities for us to learn from the companys experience and establish a solid

basis for critique and recommendations.

In a corporate environment design policy is used to give consistency throughout the

company s structure. W hether the consistency be incorporated into four factors of

prod ucts , communications, environments, and beha vior by W ally O lins, or into three

elements of image, identity and role by W alter Ma rgulies, the ultimate goa l for having a

design policy is to achieve the integrity of the company through uniform identity.

Depending on different industry and management styles, corporate design policy could bedivid ed into four catego ries: Centrist, Statist, Devolved, a nd Dirigiste. These categories

are divided by the manner of control over design and products by the compa ny, and the

effect on the companys product or service in terms of brand image could be very diverse

in range.

Having a design policy for a company may mean different things for different companies,

but the most important advantage of having one is creating the basis for projecting a

uniform imag e of the compa ny in order to succeed in the market. O nce the compa ny

succeeds in creating a uniform image of itself, it can create a culture built around itsImage to improve and consolidate its position in the market.

For design w ithin the company, co rporate design p olicy provides a platform of

fundamental structure that allows design to create new products that create new market as

well as to a dd values to existing prod ucts and market under one uniform set of rules. In

the long run, the companys philosophy is built around its design policy and embedded in

W hen companys perception,

brand personality and image

consistency are independent from

corporate i dentity, there is no

Corp orate Design Integrity.


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the products, thereby creating and selling the corporate culture and value instead of

fragmented products.

For the design policy of a company to be successfully implemented, the components of

design po licy need to be thoroughly de fined. Due to the nature of design, not all

components will be tangible; in fact, the intangible elements derived from the tangibles

may be more important in different situations because intangibles are the message

conveyed to the end user or customers through the tangible elements.

To a chieve Co rporate Design

Integrity it is fundamental to

integrate companys perception,

brand personality and image

consistency ac ross all tangible

and intangible elements of

corporate identity.


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Logo & Typograph y

Color Choice

C o m p l e m e n t a ryProducts

Packaging

Communications andInformation

Architecture

Environments

Foods and Drinks

Company Name

Entertainment

Branding

Partners

Fashion Design

I n t a n g i bl e s

significance of the name itself customers perception and associations wi th the companys name andits partners such as other airlines, rental cars and hotels

the company service mark the perception of the subtleti es and meanings allied to t he servicemark

the actual colors used in the corporate identity the perception of the actual colors used in the corporate identity

logo ware, table w are, amenities, general comfort it ems

table amenities, foods & drinks

paper goods, publications, posters, annual reports, signage, website,applied graphics, screens, miscellaneous , advertising

image makers, message carriers, information on the website and other

publications, privileges codes, toilet ry brand choice, food & drinkbrand choice

uniforms dress codes

permanent, temporary, headquarters, Red Carpet , int erior design in

general

terminals, hangers, offices comfort, style and context

menu selection presentation, color combination, brands choice

movies, music, on-board programs, onboard programs and magazines choice

M ileage Plus - Premier & Executive , United Express , Arrivals

by United, Connoisseur Class , Shutt le by United, Hemisphere,United Airli nes Travel Card, Red Carpet Club

Owner by others - United Vacations , Visa Credit Card, Travel agents

service quality perception of t he partners by Uniteds customers and home country

customers

virtual environment on the world wide web (www)

Ta n g i bl e s


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Carlsons arrival at United co incid ed w ith one of the most significant crises of the avia tion

industry. The market was unstable, with the entire transportation industry suffering the

counter-effects of the oil shock. W all Street wa s reacting b oth to the constant rumors and

to what seemed to be a never ending rise in oil prices. As a result, the airline industry

wa s also in financial trouble and Uniteds had shown a record loss of $ 4 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 in

the year before.

In order to understand the companys reality, Ca rlson traveled 1 8 6 ,0 0 0 miles in one year

talking to employees and inspecting Uniteds facilities. As a result of this effort he learned

that the corporate structure was considered bureaucratic and somehow seen as inefficient

- which w as not completely false. M oreover, the customers perception of UALs prod ucts

was vague and incoherent.

Due to the established cycle of rapid acquisitions and consolidation in the former air-transport and mail service industry, the corporate image was a chaotic non-

comp lementary p atchwork at a ll levels. W ithout any core story to steer UALs evolution

towa rds a first-class pa ssenger airline, the several attempts to communicate its innovative

and progressive philosophy to customers did not succeed .

Based on what he saw and heard, Carlson initiated a corporate reorganization program

to revive the company. This program clea rly reflected his understand ing that strategy

should address both corporate weaknesses and strengths with change implemented from

top to bottom.

Two central ideas forged the main changes at United in the early 1970s : internally, loss

control and externally, image coherency. To minimize loss he divided United into 1 ,7 0 0

cost centers throughout the country. In doing this he sought to develop responsibility for

profit and loss at each level. This policy change generated internal cost control efficiency

and allowed targeted a nd strategic revisions in corporate plans. How ever, in the area of

THE MOMENT

Edward E. Carlson in 1975.


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corporate image coherency and perception he was unable to solve the problem internally.

At that moment, the company did not dispose internally of professionals with the specific

expertise to develop a comprehensive and coherent design policy. Besides, he preferred

an outsider that would objectively read the company, understand its personality and

better translate it into a new Corporate Identity.

Uniteds growth model and its

influence in the formation of

UAL, Inc.


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As a result, Ca rlson co mmissioned the design firm of Saul Bass & Associates to develop

an identity program that would organize a plan of communications to help people clearly

perceive United as it really is...

The hidden goal of the program, though, was to attract the family vacation and pleasure

travel segments, helping to reverse the discouraging trends in the aviation market at that

time and hopefully eliminate Uniteds loss trends. Although it is not clear why this segment

was chosen, targeting the family vacation segment was perfectly coherent with the

pa rtnership o f the W estern Hotels.

Since 1946 in the market, Saul Bass name was intrinsically linked to innovation for his

ability in developing works marked by his personality, especially in the movie industry.

"Symbolize and summarize" were the words Bass lived by, and his careful choice of single

images quickly set the tone for films and different designs he was involved with.

Bass was the author of storyboards like the shower scene in Psycho and of the title

design in W est Side Story. Bass cinema g olden era la sted w ell into the mid-sixties when

he turned to corpo rate design. W ith his firm, Saul Bass and Associa tes, he p ut his stamp

on the corporate world.

W hen Saul Bass & Associ ates arrived at United they found a c ompletely non-structured

identity system spread throughout the company in all different media and at all levels. This

hodgepodge communicated an inappropriate and indefinite corporate character.

According to Carlson this was the natural outcome of the growth process that both thecompany and the industry had experienced.

The result of Saul Bass consultancy was a new Corporate Identity Program based on a

new service mark and identification system that transcended the boundaries of graphic

design. It dictated guidelines for marketing strategies and interior design.

Above, Saul Bass in 1968.

Below, the new Corporate

Identity to be implemented by

United in the early seventies.

The Proposal


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Saul Bass take on Uniteds identity reflected his philosophy through a symbolic

representation of his own understanding of the company. His vision of design policy was

established by a rigid corporate identity manual.

The first United design policy was then launched in 1974 with a message

from the CEO , Edward C arlson, expressing his commitment to the prop osal

and demanding that employees be partners in its success. Considering the

high level of decision-making involved and the participatory process that

brought about the proposal, the Corporate Identity Program was well

received inside the company, with employees highly motivated for change.

The Corporate Identity Program consisted of a new service mark, an identification system,

a series of established parameters and recommendations of use and application. It also

established a network of specific responsibilities to be developed by area and theexpected roles of the different levels of management.

It is important to note that at that time design was perceived by the company as an image

driven tool to solve Uniteds lack of identity. Despite that, it established a sense of

cohesiveness in its whole and complete approach.

The new service mark in red and blue was composed of a symbol as the visual focal

point of the service mark and a logotype which clearly identifies the company by

name . As a means to identify the company with its target market, the colors werechosen between the basic and warm United Red in equilibrium with the cold United Blue,

giving a sense of fun in harmony with the Black modified Handel Gothic typos without

serif that tend to be more informal yet professional looking.

The program covered the application of the service mark on aircraft, miscellaneous interior

materials and items, interior modular secondary signing standards, exterior identification

The program ha s the potentia l of solving most of

the Identity problems we have encountered as a

result of our growth.

Edward E. Carlson

President

The new service mark and its

application in stationary

materials.


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and signing standards, facilities and signage, ground equipment, stationery and forms,

advertising and promotion, and miscellaneous.

It took a year to implement the new identity in all components except aircraft, which had

a five to six year painting cycle.

Although this program was very detailed, it is curious it did not consider some of the

basics of corporate identitys programs, such as uniforms. Specifically, it included the

application of the service mark in uniforms, but left fashion design considerations

completely open. Despite that, the innovative approach of imposing consistent design

criteria to ad vertising and p romotion campa igns is remarkable. N ormally the impositions

come from marketing to design and not the other wa y around. O nce more, upper-

manag ements commitment to the program was deci sive, allow ing this reversing of

values.

According to the responsibilities guidelines, there were two major decisive players in the

policy implementation and consolidation process: The Interior Design Review Committee

and The Identity Committee. The Interior Design Review Committee was in charge of the

estab lishment of a po licy for corporate identity applic ations and wa s the final authority in

corrective action for major deviations. Proposals for changes and revisions, as well as

contacts with Saul Bass & Associates, were responsibilities of Chairman of the Identity

Committee, who was the Manager of Facilities Design.

The responsibilities division developed a curious company culture to look at their design

policy on two separate levels: Image and Identity. Image covered advertising, marketing,

perception, services and pricing, and Identity related to the service mark application in

facilities, aircraft, architecture, interiors and stationery materials.

Curious as it appears to an outsider, this division seems to have worked quite well while it

By the end of 1 98 5 Uniteds

aircraft were a cohesive example

of the applied Corporate Identity.

Fly the Friendly Skies


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was based o n personal relations, when John Ruhack w as the head of ad vertising and

Don Duff was in charge of architecture facilities. N otwi thstanding , when John Ruhack

left, the informal link was broken and the cohesiveness guaranteed by this relationship

was gone, imposing an unequal pattern in the decision making process. In the end, the

policy became a question of internal policing.

The policy model imposed centralized design implementation and tightened

organizational control. The use of the service mark design standards as a

bible, putting aside several other important components such as aircraft

interior, lounges and uniforms dictated a disruption in the internal and

external corporate perception. The absence of guidelines for different

components exposed serious shortcomings in what was hoped to be a

comprehensive and integrated design policy.

Without upper management re-enforcing identity,

my job is difficult... Sometimes I feel tha t

I became the logo cop ...

Thats how people know me inside the company!

Don Duff

Corpora te Architect and logo cop

As part of Saul Bass Corporate

Identity Program, fac ilities and

signage parameters were

established in the Corporate

Identity M anual.


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In general terms, Saul Bass Corporate Identity Program achieved the proposed corporate

goals and marketing objectives in what concerns the service mark. However, the lack of a

corporate design policy distorted the corporate identity. Despite the CIPs dictatorial

ap proa ch contained in the Corpo rate M anual, Uniteds corporate culture itself was a

disruptive element. There was a clear discontinuity in many tangib le and intangib leelements of the design structure inside United.

As a consequence, some other programs were developed inside United without any

reference to corporate brand and personality, image consistency and the companys

perception. A good example of that happened in the late sixties and early seventies when

red carpet rooms were designed without any link to image or identity.

The goal of consistency of corporate image across the entire range of Uniteds products

and services was undermined by the divergent design expressions through non-integratedlounges, architecture, environments, interior of aircraft, among others. Uniteds corporate

identity, and its go al of presenting united image to its customers would continue to be a

challenge.


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Looking for

Brand Persona lityThe Blue and G ray Era


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In 1978, Carlson retired from United and became the chairman of UAL, the holding

company, inviting Richard Ferris from W estin Ho tels to take his place.

Ferris decided to apply a new marketing strategy for United by introducing the hub-and-

spoke system. It also included the addition of secondary main hubs in Denver, SanFrancisco, a nd Dallas. In add ition, Chicag o O Ha re airport wa s chosen as its central

facility.

Expansion through coverage o n flights and services continued and in 1 9 8 5 , United

acquired Pan Ams Asian route rights for $715.5 million. This move was critical to

Uniteds long term strategy of becoming an international airline company.

Still in 1985, United lost the number 1 position in passenger volume to American Airlines

in the US market. In 19 8 7 , UAL changed its name to Allegis, a name that combinedthe wo rds a llegiance (alliance) and aegis (shield). Allegis go al w as to beco me an

integrated full service travel company w ith United A irlines, W estin Ho tel chains, Hertz rent-

a-car company and the Apollo computerized reservations system. Ho wever, Allegis

strategy encountered problems and Ferris failure cost him his job. In order to deal with the

problem, Frank A. O lson wa s named as chairman of Allegis and Stephen M . W olf was

named CEO of United.

These tumultuous events occurred in the turmoil scenario o f the eighties and early nineties.

After the economic boom in the 80s, the US economy began to slide into a recession in

the beginning of the 90s, which in turn reduced the demand for air travel. Concurrently,

fuel prices rose sharply during 19 9 0 -9 1 Persian Gulf crisis. Co nsequently, UAL

Corporation reported a net loss of $331.9 million in 1991 along with losses at other air

carriers. Also, major US carriers were often being threatened by fare w ars launched by

now bankrupt airlines such as TW A and Co ntinental. In 1 9 9 2 , United simplified its fare

structure into a interestingly four-tier program, following American Airlines to eliminate fare

N ew Scenario, New A pproaches


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wars. However, United was not discouraged by these industry trends and saw the

situation as an opp ortunity to expand. W hen the new CEO a nd chairman Stephen M .

W olf came to United in 1 9 8 7 , he decid ed that United should continue on the pa th of

becoming a big international airline.

The dispute that began in the 60s between UAL and the three major employee unions at

United w as settled in 1 9 9 1 by W olfs administration. This allow ed United to proceed with

further equip ment grow th and international-route expansion. As a result, Uniteds order for

$22 billion worth of new airplanes was concluded. Also in 1991, United purchased six

of Pan Ams routes to London for $400 million as well as a portion of Pan Ams Latin

American line for $135 million. Interestingly, after this great flurry of route acquisitions,

United still remained in the number two spo t after American Airlines.

W ithin a year, how ever, United increased its internationa l travel almost two-fold andregained the number one airline status from American. Though United was winning in

internationa l flights, American s domestic traffic out of O Hare increased from 8. 6 million

passengers to roughly 8.8 million while United domestic travel decreased from 12.6

million to 12 .2 million. The competition with American became fiercer w ith bo th setting

their aim at the business travelers from Chica go s O Hare Airp ort. In spite of the fact that

business travelers make up just 30% of the passengers flying, business travel accounts for

7 0 % of airlines pa ssenger revenue. Therefore, O H are, America s busiest airport, where

more domestic flights originate than in any other city, is an extremely important

battleground for both United and American.

By an ag gressive effort of United and W olfs ad ministration to keep Chicag o as Uniteds

hub, a nd co nsolidate its image as the majo r player in the business air travel sector, W olf

initiated a new Corporate Identity Program that would give United a more conservative

image, b etter suited to the preferred ca rrier for the business air traveler.

Stephen W olf in 19 90 when

announcing the deal with Pan

Am.


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The new identity program wa s ordered by Stephen W olf in 1 9 9 3 a nd the design was

created by a d esign firm called CKS in San Francisco. The new Corporate Identity

Program kept the original logo design by Saul Bass, but changed every other detail that

comprised the comprehensive origina l Corpo rate Identity Program. The guideline

produced by C KS was called the G raphic G uidelines for Environmental Identification,emphasizing its aim for estab lishing a comp rehensive environmental id entification system

for United rather than mere logo unification which was the case of the first program done

by Saul Bass.

Because of the fierce competition at O Ha re with American and o ther carriers, United

recognized the importance of the airport terminal environment as a valuable visual

extension of the United Airline Identification.

Design elements were developed to provide environmental identification when usedflexibly with the United logo. Utilization of compatible design elements serves the purpose

of visual presentation consistency of the organization. This is achieved at all levels through

standardized and consistent use of fundamental design components - the logotype, the

symbol, the blue-on blue bands and the tri-stripes.

W hen United p urchased Pan Ams London route, in 19 9 1 , it w as pursuing the goal of

becoming a majo r player in the internationa l business travel market. Ho wever, this put

United in direct competition with British Airways , which has been one of United partners

in European routes. As a consequence, Uniteds Stephen W olf severed the alliance wi th

British Airways, and now faced direct competition from one of the worlds most dominant

global business air travel carriers.

N ow , in a turbulent moment, United turned to d esign as imag e as a means of helping

suppo rt a market strategy. Acco rding to W olfs app roach, a new c orporate identity w as

necessary to identify United with its business travelers in an adequate business style. By

The N ew C orporate Identity

CKS Corporate IdentificationSystem defined as primary

components: a new serif

logotype, Bass symbol and blue-

on-blue bands. The tri-stripes and

special W orldwide Service

lettering function as second

components.


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incorporating new elements into existing symbols, United hoped to update and modernize

the companys image as well as compete with British Airways in the competitive, but

lucrative global business travel market.

The new Environmenta l

Identification Program should

establish a business like

atmosphere in all internal and

external Uniteds environments.


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Dressing the Environment in a Suit ?

This Corporate Identity Programs emphasis was on the environment created by

incorporating and combining different elements with flexibility for different surroundings.

The fundamental design components consist of the logotype, the symbol, the blue-on-blue

bands and the tri-stripes.

The logotype was changed from a sans serif type to a serif type giving a more traditional

notion that fits the airlines new ima ge o f corporate business airline. The symbo l,

originally designed b y Saul Bass in the 70 s gained a new color - orange. O ther new

additions are the blue-on-blue stripe bands and the tri-stripes, in blue and gray, which are

typically used as background for the logotype and the symbol.

W hen the elements are used all together, they become the signa ture arrangement wi th

relationships between the elements presenting each component clearly as a part of a

cohesive unit. The color gray was applied as a means of projecting a serious look to thefun translated through blue and red. As part of adjustments in Saul Bass Corporate

Identity Program, orang e came into the logo in order to give movement to it.

The application of the environmental identity program was presented according to

different physical environments rather than as individual elements itself because each

element does not work alone. Applica tions are mainly divid ed into signa ture

configurations, ba nded formats, and seconda ry signs. These ap plica tions are defined

again in specific situations such as the ticket counters or gate lounges and other

applications such as aircraft exterior or ground transportation.

Along with Uniteds effort to recreate the environment for Uniteds new perception as the

business travel ca rrier, the United terminal at O Ha re wa s designed separately by architect

He lmut Jahn. This structure dep icts more of a futuristic sci-fi image that seemed to c lash

w ith United s more conservative new look. Jahns architecture was used a s a means of

defining Uniteds image as a cutting edge modern flyer, an image which United was

The new suit dressed the airport

terminal environment for moremarket share in less real state -

according to the Graphic

guidelines for environmental

identification of N ovember

1993, page 8.


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never successful in achieving. Yet the new corporate identity design was focused on a

more traditional conservative look and image that w ould ap peal more to c orporate

customers. Once more, United s lack of a comp rehensive app roach through design

confuses its customers perceptions. Larry Clark, the vice president of facilities at United,

once said, Universal customer understanding of the corporation was lost in architecture[of H elmut Jahn,] but found in ma rketing.

Below and from left to right, the

new signatures on light and dark

backgrounds and its application

in different elements.


30/51

3 9

It is common that a Co rporate Identity Program is influenced by the manag ement head a t

the time of change. The personality of the deci sion-maker, power structure, and personal

skills are the main factors of influence. Those three factors that influence a companys

design policy, personal skills, p ersonality, and pow er, were no exception for United a nd

Stephen W olf. The identity often expresses the person in pow er through the personalitiesof the designer and the deci sion maker - the CEO. The new environmental plan designed

by C KS was implemented a nd co ntrolled b y Stephen W olf. The design plan w as not

officia lly endorsed by the corpo ration. Peop le charged with implementing the new

design policy within the company had no participation in the new identity program and

did not cooperate w ith W olf or C KS in the process of defining criteria for conceiving the

new id entity. This led to a lack of commitment to the imposed chang es.

Since the new program w as not endorsed, ei ther formally or informally, by the

corpo ration, it was not successful in changi ng the company s image as intended. Theresult is much more like a confusion of corporate images. The new corporate identity

designed by CKS is displayed mixed with the old image designed by Saul Bass.

Considering the cycle of five to six years for painting the fleet, the exterior of aircraft is still

in the process of changing to new identity, which will be completed in 1999.

Stephen W olf left the company soon a fter and a s a result, the new id entity prog ram

remained still in a confused stage, without any leader committed to it.

Above, the Connoisseur Class

service when it was launched in

1 9 9 1 .

Beside and from left to right,

competitors tails of American

Airlines, Southwest Airlines, British

Airways and Virgin Airlines.

Personal skills, Personality, Power and Commitment


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4 0

The lack of commitment also played an important role in the failure of implementation of

the new corporate identity. The policy initiated by Stephen W olf never succeed ed in

diffusing into every level of the company so that the new identity could replace the old

comp letely. It seems that making d ecisions in the higher level of the compa ny without

consulting others in the company, especially those responsible for carrying out the task, isnot very effective when it comes to implementing the decision.

Stephen W olfs dream of g lobal domination w as expressed, in pa rt , by his decision to

change the corporate image, but the responses from both inside and outside the company

were weak. Again, the lack of understanding of the companys problem in addition to the

lack of evaluative and review systems did not allow people to properly identify what and

where the prob lems were. W ithout the cap aci ty to share common understanding o f the

dynamics of the problem, as well as clearly communicated solutions, any new design

policy implementation would be unsuccessful and ineffective.


32/51


33/51

4 3

It is in this context that the most important corpo rate structural cha nge o ccurred. In Ma y

1 9 9 4 , United Airlines pilots and mechanics union p ensions bought 5 5 % of the airline for

$ 5 billion dollars. The new shareholders named G erald G reenwa ld as UAL, Inc. new

Chairman and CEO . G reenwa ld wa s a former Chrysler Co rp. executive and replaced

Stephen W olf as Chairman.

Greenwald had the unique task of running the largest employee-owned

corporation in the US. The top down management and design

implementation strategy used by his predecessors was not to be his style.

He brought a new vision to UAL, Inc. with his participatory philosophy and

different experience-based background.

Having gone through so many structural changes obliged United to analyze its future and

foresee its position in the market. A dec ision wa s mad e, by a Senior VP of marketing, tolook a t all of UAL in the context of the overall airline market. It is important to notice that

never in Uniteds history had they taken such a probing look at themselves.

Today, a ccording to market da ta, United is the largest airline in the wo rld. The

employees, now o wners, take pride in their airline. Brand identification and a strong

persona has given peop le confidence and route definition.

Carlsons trip-around-the-company was somehow replicated by Greenwald. It is time

again to have an attitude towards a new company organization and a cohesive

Corporate Identity Program.

W hen W olf went awa y, he left behind his unfinished identity program co-existing w ith

Bass C IP. O nce more the Corpo rate Identity is a chao tic non-comp lementary

patchwo rk. The giant corporation needs a comprehensible image to w ork with and to

help its vario us customers perceive United a s it is.

Changes in Command, Changes in Perception

Greenwald tries to manage through consensus and

puts a high premium on employee loyalty and job

security.

Fortune, October 14, 1996


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4 4

Projects in the past had succeeded in giving definition to disparate areas, without

connecting them to the whole. For Example, H elmut Jahns O H are terminal is on the

cutting edge of design while other terminals are dreary and out-dated.

In order to deal with this dichotomy, the marketing department initiated a research study ofUnited through Chica go b ased Ca mbridge consulting. Co nsidering that still nowa days,

business travelers are responsible for 70% of the revenue from air-tickets, their research

focus wa s on this segment of the market. The results crea ted a set of criteria for United to

use for developing a marketing and operational strategy.

Since 19 9 4 , United has targeted business pa ssengers. Business travelers, traveling o ften

at full fare and on long hauls, prefer business and first class acc ommoda tions. In that

segment the margins are higher and their bag ga ge less. The fight for low fare vacation

travel has been given over to Southwest. Uniteds actual main competitors are Americanand British Airways.

The marketing study exp osed United s strengths in key markets and the strong follow ing

of their frequent flyer program among b usiness pa ssengers. It also po inted out a prob lem

wi th the prod uct. Business travelers were not pleased w ith United s not alw ays on-time

flights, cancellation rates, or lost ba gg ag e records. Those are know n problems at United.

Uniteds Senior VP Planning, Rono Dutta, pointed this out in its institutional strategic

planning video presentation and then moved on to other topics. This video w as

presented to the different levels of decision making and management inside the

corporation as pa rt of their participatory strategic p lanning ap proach.

Developing a strong p roduct should be their top p riority. H ow ever, d espite the know ledge

evidenced in the video, their decision wa s to attack other subjects. Scheduling, perks

and a larger presence in targeted markets are now their central focus.

Business is the Target

According to United Airlines

Strategic Planning Presentation,

there are four factors that

influence the choice of air

carriers.


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4 5

O n the other hand, United ha s been rated as one of the most annoy ing a irlines b uy its

customers, acc ording to C onde N ast Traveler annual survey: United, meanw hile , rode

the latest dip in its see-saw history do wn to one-star territory. Besides being later than

average to twenty of twenty-seven major airports, the carrier mishandled more baggage

than any of its competitors.

M eanwhile, a new Senior VP of marketing a rrived in Chicag o by w ay of London. David

Co ltman had p reviously been the head of operations in Europe. He w as presented with

the task of evaluating and identifying Uniteds personality in the market. He was also

challenged with developing strategies and changes through various components of

corporate identity.

The challenge was to absorb Cambridges results and translate then into a new cohesive

and efficient corpo rate marketing strategy. His strategy to dea l with this challenge wa s tochange Uniteds advertising agency and hire a design firm to define a new brand

personality. At that time, the corporation ended its long advertising relationship with giant

Leo Burnett and hired two medium sized firms.

The initial goal of the design strategy was to express the companys pride and strength as

well as to add zip and modernity to its look. A cohesive package should define the

product in the eyes of the shareholders and the public.

N otwi thstanding , some components of the design strategy had to be pre-defined b ased

on cost-benefit analysis. A decision wa s made to keep repa inting the planes w ith W olfs

design and colors. It takes 4 -5 yea rs to repa int aircraft and the expense in chang ing it

now w ould be da unting. The logo developed by Saul Bass wa s also to be retained.

In what concerns the red-carpet rooms, that were designed location by location by

independent designers with no coordination, a designer was assigned to the task of



service delivery, physical cabin

and on-time performance are the

main airline preference

determinants.


36/51

4 6

giving unity to them. N aomi Lett, an interior designer in N ew York, was hired in 19 9 5

to develop a co ncept for all red carpet rooms. In 1 9 9 6 , how ever, Pentag ram was

contacted to develop a new corporate identity package. The old and new designs were

to be incorporated into Pentagrams work.

Pentagram s London and N ew York offices were charged w ith the task of

identifying and creating a cohesive design concept to represent United to

the new ow ners as well as the customers. The retired head of a dvertising,

John Ruhack, ha s been retained as a consultant to w ork w ith United and

Pentagram in this new image development. Co nsidering Ruhacks

familiarity and know ledge of United, his role a s the liaison man is

fundamental to the process.

Pentagrams first step in defining Uniteds personality was a study of itsow n. They looked at United s primary domestic and Internationa l

comp etitors. Pentagram described American as masculine, Delta as the

Southern Belle and British Airways as the Q ueen M um. United was

defined a s Sophisticated.

In actua l fact, it has been British Airways tha t ha s

undertaken the most sophisticated user-centered

design innovations in aircraft seating of any airline in

the world. . . its strange that Pentagram

are ignoring that and giving this rather dowdy old

lady image for British Airways when in fact

its streaks ahead of United!

John Heskett

From left to right:

The M asculine American

The Southern Belle Delta


37/51

4 7

A new concept was introduced based on two old time film stars to express Uniteds

personality. They suggested Fred Astaire and G inger Rog ers as a metap hor to express

sophistication, allied to the value of team work. By so doing, they believe they are going

to be show ing fluid motion and a coordinated p erformance effortlessly. Ruhack stated that

the concept was preliminary. Although the initial presentation to the marketing committeewas not thoroughly understood , recent prototypes were better received . It was expressed

by many who had seen the initial concept that it was too esoteric.

The unveiling of the new prototypes took place in the London offices of Pentagram in early

April, 19 9 7 . The areas under re-design are uniforms, interiors of aircraft, business class

tableware and headrest covers, amenity kits in business and first class, and boarding area

grap hics and check in counters. The new design has not been fully accepted as of this

writing and is still in development.

Fred A staire and G inger Rogers

in Carefree, 19 38 .

From left to right:

The Q ueen Mum British

The Sofisticated United


38/51

4 8

W hatever results come from Pentagram s consultancy they wo uld have to b e implemented

somehow. Because of historical influences, there are two implementation paths at United.

The first is the marketing profile used in advertising a nd p romotion of the compa ny. The

corpo rate identity becomes a background to the messag e and personality displayed . The

second is in facilities and architecture, the physical incorporation of identifying colors,logos, typography, architecture are perhaps easier to define.

Saul Bass Corporate Identity Program shaped this heritage in the corporate culture - or

was it the corporate culture that could never be re-structured in other ways? From the

perspective of this study, since the implementation of Saul Bass program the design policy

has been managed through this division of Image and Identity: Image as a marketing

responsibility; identity as an architectural and environmental subject. This fragmented view

distorts the internal unity of design.

An illustration of this fragmented idea is offered by Don Duff, who is still the Chief

Architect for United. He is respectfully known as the logo cop, as he is responsible for

the signage, interior design and coordination of all architectural elements for the

corporation. Duff had not seen the proposed image and had no id ea as to its impact on

his department. O ne thing he understands from pa st experience is the need to have the

executives believe in a nd endo rse the concept. The rumbling s of some as to the non-

acceptance a t the initial meeting w as troubling to him. His job is difficult enough, and is

only made worse with no internal support. Uniteds corporate culture continues to be

impermeable to changes brought by the new administration. It looks like Uniteds

personnel need to be involved in different levels of the decision process to feel committed

and responsible for any proposed change.

The perceptual map above

shows the corporate c ulture and

behavior in what concerns to

their different design policies

throughout history.

Corporate Culture And Behavior


39/51

4 9

The corporation entered this era focusing on marketing issues and positioning itself

globa lly. The big idea of seamless travel, pa ssengers who can travel around the world

on one ticket, has long b een the goal at United. Because business is no longer confined

to regions, it is a most interesting market segment. There is an undefined global market for

the taking and a lot of business travelers are trying to get to their destinations as hasslefree as possible.

United focused all its energy on the business class and first class passengers because this

is the market they w ant. The typica l business traveler books tickets on short notice, flies

weekda ys, to majo r hubs, pa ys full fare and flies the premium classes. The typica l

business traveler therefore evaluates the airline based not on price but service, schedule,

amenities, mileage awards, food, seat comfort, ease of connections, airports served

directly, relative distance to connecting flights...

M otivation For A N ew Change



these are the results of a survey

amongst Uniteds and itscompetitors customers, in the US

market of shuttle flights and

business travelers.


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5 0

Concerning seamless travel, Larry Clark explained that this was a goal but logistically it is

a problem. Due to historical liaisons United is tied to some carriers that are no longer

pa rtners. An exa mple of that is in JFK Airpo rt, in N ew York. There United shares a

terminal with British Airways, while their international partner, Lufthansa, is building a new

terminal on the other side of the airport. If United i s locked into British Airw ays terminal,how do they provide sea mlessness across the real-estate at JFK? This is not as much an

marketing issue as it is a design problem.

United is planning to bring in this new image in 1998 on top of an already confusing

identity and design process history to fortify its marketing strategy aimed at the business

travel market.

Finally, is it coherent to change its corporate identity just because of the new ownership

by employees program?

Is the change going to be effective if it is done once more without integrating it into a

larger action in terms of corporate design integrity as a whole?

W hat are the hidden g oals that even the corporation cannot read?

Are they being addressed by this new attempt to give United the face it deserves to have?



there are four elements of the

marketing mix that an airline can

utilize for po sitioning itself.


41/51

Final Critique &

SuggestionsAn outsiders point of view


42/51

5 2

Having had its design policy established throughout its history by personal skills,

personality, and power, United seems to be trying once more to target its giant market

w ith superficia l and inconsistent chang es.

Although the reason for change was always valid and sound for Uniteds situation at thegiven time, people in the intermediate level of the company who were in charge of

actually carrying out the program saw the changes as personal issues, mainly related to

the personality and the power of the head of the company.

Another interesting point to take into consideration is the corporate identity

of the partners and its cohesiveness with Uniteds own corporate identity

and perception by its customers. Such analysis seems not to be relevant for

the company.

The importance of sharing the same value was not well communicated

among different functions of the company, making it more difficult to

implement the programs coherently.

Airlines are marketing driven and involve numerous outsiders to develop and maintain their

imag e. The integra tion of independent design firms must be coo rdinated internally and

manag ed so as to present a cohesive concep t. Clea rly expressing an airlines personality

is probably the most effective but difficult goal to achieve.

Today, g iven the employee ow nership p rogram and some important chang es in its

organizational b ehavior, w ould b e a perfect moment for change. The responsibility

implied in being an employee-ow ned company g oes beyond empow erment and trust. If

A Strategic Moment for Change

Confusion and clutter a re fa ilure of design, not

a ttributes of information. An so the point is to find

design strategies that reveal detail and complexity

rather than to fault the data for an excess ofcomplication. Or, worse, to fault viewers for a lack of

understanding.

Edward Tufte

Soft drinks, juices & snacks

providers are i ntrinsically related

to the w ay c ustomers perceive

United.


43/51

5 3

it does not generate a strong sense of participation and commitment among its employee

owners, there must be something profoundly wrong.

The central problem is that another Corporate Identity Program in the mold of the first, or

even second one wont satisfy the corporations needs any longer .

The scop e of any move tow ards a cohesive and coherent design strategy should

consider the corporation as a whole. A clearly defined design policy is required to

definitively position the company within its internal and external public.

Despite top level professionals involved in different "eras", the lack of

coherency in corporate image and perception is a constant throughout

Uniteds history of design policy.

A new identity never sta rts with a blank sheet of

paper. It takes as its raw material the strengths of

the company, existing a ssocia tions, competitive

positioning, probab le uses and applica tions and the

needs and perceptions of the target audiences.

Leonard Rau

Raymo nd Loew y, Saul Bass and

CKS tried to establish a cohesive

design integrity for United. N ow

Pentagram UK is using Fred &

Ginger metaphor to achieve it.


44/51

5 4

In the Blue and Red era despite Saul Bass effort to establish links and responsibilities to

the program, it is not possible to trace what happened with the convergence of objectives

that could have led to the re-affirmation of the corporations dynamic mission and its

evolving goa ls.

CKS arrived with a new corporate identity proposal based on

environmental design, reflecting Stephen W olfs ow n vision of the

company, without feed-back from Uniteds diverse publics.

N ow Pentagram is using Fred & G inger to give a new personality to Uniteds brand,

contributing to its kaleidoscop ic imag e. Everywhere a customer looks he, sees a di fferent

image: the gray suit behind the check-in areas, the sci-fi walkw ay a t O Ha re terminal, the

lack of personality at the waiting area, the all-eras service marks on different aircraft, the

unexpected interior of airplanes, and the United standard on-board service.

Uniteds identity and image are controlled under separate functions. The identity is

controlled by the facilities department and the image is controlled by the marketing

department. The personality of the company, which is the combination of identity and

image, has never been clear to outsiders, its customers, or to most insiders - the people

working at United.

It appears that in its exponential growth, the corporation lost congruence in objectives,

while the responsibilities for it dissolved into various areas of the giant organization

structure.

Besides, some other factors had i nfluenced the definition of the actual corpo rate image

and perception.

Learning From United

United was redesigned by CKS par tners in 1994

to make it look more global.

Leonard Rau

Acc ordi ng to John Ruhack,

Pentagram is using Fred &

Gingers image as a metaphor to

show that team work makes

things easier.


45/51


46/51

5 6

Some airlines built their own terminals, as Delta at Los Angeles International

Airpo rt and United at O H are. This customiza tion of environment through

architecture and interior facility gave strength to their identity and influenced

the perception o f the airline by its customers. Unfortunately, this is only

possible in major hubs and when there is a clear confidence in thelongevity of the airline. As for United, the terminal at O Hare, designed b y

Helmut Jahn, is the only one that has the distinctive elements, and there are

no other cities in the world with the same elements making it difficult for

United to express the integrity of the company throughout the world.

The research United conducted on the market and the competitors reveals another hole in

their strategic planning .

They have a comprehensive analysis of what they call four weapons - schedule, product,

price, and placement. In this analysis the item where their weakness is highest is product.

Amazingly, they seem to intentionally ignore it. The fact that they are not putting enough

effort into understanding their users is the first sign of this intentional oversight. It is not

possible to enhance your product if you do not know and understand your users needs

and wants. There is no apparent strategy to attack the central problem - create new and

unexpected values for their users.

It's no surprise that a survey conducted by Co nde N ast mag azi ne rated United as one of

the most annoying carriers in terms of customer satisfaction.

Also, the inertia against change exists in every large and established company. United is

no exception. This inertia is leading United to have once more a marketing driven

prod uct, without paying attention to their central problem - not knowing their users' needs

and wants and not designing for these customers.

It is difficult for the insiders to see their faults and shortcomings with an objective point of

The airlines, however need to express their identities

and their values in the airport: to instruct the

passengers and build their confidence, and to

differentiate themselves from their competitors.An effectively implemented identity system will show

passengers where to go and what to do

inside the airport.

Leonard Rau

According to the Air Transport

Association United was the

number one in terms of

passenger miles in 19 93 .


47/51

5 7

view; therefore, the outsiders must distinguish between which are good and which are

unnecessary. If United wants to develop a corporate design integrity that could last for

the next twenty years, it should start considering the existence of a new generation of

business travelers. Instead of focusing o nly on the current market of baby-boomer b usiness

travelers, it should start looking a t the generation X of business travelers. This newgeneration has a completely different set of values, a new ethic, and exposure and

comfort with technology.

The company must be open to outside opinions and criticisms in order to change and

grow. Especially, it must critically consider customers and consultants opinions to

consolidate its place in the commercial aviation industry as the leader in business travel.

Despite all efforts during its history, it seems that the core objective of United is still the

same: have their customers perceive them as they would like to be perceived. As an

airline w ith standards of excellence in equip ment and service it has first to develop

coherent products for its niche markets. O nly then will it be possible to d evelop a n

integrated design policy that would organize a plan throughout the companys different

tangibles and intangibles designs that will help people to clearly perceive United as it

really is.

Instead of trying to create an image for projecting itself as a warm, contemporary,

efficient, people-oriented airline, United should organize itself as a warm, contemporary,

efficient, people-oriented airline. Doing so would allow their corpo rate design integrity to

arise from their actual services and products, instead of trying to cover up their weakness.

In order to achieve this, though, they must first recognize the pow er of their products.

It will not be through Fred & Ginger image association that United will be able to be a

profitable airline that can support sustained revenue growth, without an adequate

prod uct. Even when the Fred & G inger imag e is related to Frank Gehrys new building in



these are the revenue and margin

growth of their main competitors.


48/51

5 8

Prague, it is used as a metaphor for a very contemporary, technologically advanced

structural system. Using any new design policy through image w ith a w eak prod uct w ill

be no metaphor but wishful thinking.

United should approach its design policy with a user-centered point of view. Doing sowould allow the corporation to have a coherent image in products and services, at the

same time as to provide customers with improved and fulfilling products and services.

Consolidation of their incoherent design policies, both formal and informal, in order to

give consistency to their brand and personality as well as to reduce costs and support

company's growth in their cash cow and star cities is absolutely vital at this point.

Given the decentralized structure of United, the establishment of a flexible and dynamic

Corporate design policy would permit a better development of different activities amongst

the tangibles and intangibles of its components, insuring the dynamic cohesion it sought.

Although the actual moment is highly positive for change, with the new

employee ownership program, the establishment of new partnerships and

the seamless concept being explored, it seems that, once more, there will

be disharmony between Corporate Integrity - and here it means brand

personality, projected image and identity consistency; and internal and

external perception of the company itself.

It requires understanding of what the organization is, what it delivers to its customers, and

what it projec ts bo th internally and externally. By doing so, it is po ssible to develop a

really pow erful weap on: the corporate integrity expressed through design. O n the other

hand, if design develops an image that is not consonant and cohesive with the reality of

the product, its only going to generate suspicion, mistrust, and disbelief.

We talk of integrity in a person as being a total

qua lity of what a person is, expressing wha t they

are, and without it, theres a gap.

John Heskett


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5 9

PR E DE S I G N PO L I C Y RE D & BL U E BL U E & G R AY FU T U R E

time

target

slogan

criteria for choosing

partners

designer

head of the corporation

motivation for change

driven by

analogy

looking for

scope of change

implementation level

1928 - 1973

Mail delivery & passengers

Zay Smith & Raymond Loewy

Pat Patterson

Corporate Identity

Logo & Typography applied

to diverse elements

1974 - 1993

US air-travel market in general

The friendly skies of your land

Fly the friendly skies

Enlarge geographic coverage

Saul Bass

Edward E. Carlson

Organize image through a

coherent Corporate Identity

Program

Organizational need

Putting things together

Corporate Identity and Unity

extensive list of elements, from

stationary to aircraft

integral

1994 - 1997

International business travelers

Worldwide Service

Achieve international

coverage

CKS

Stephen Wolf

To become sophisticated

& business-like

Personality and power

The blue and gray suit

Brand Personality through

Environmental Consistency

signs & environmental identity

new typeface and colors

graphic standard

partial, with anterior identity

competing with the new one

1998 - ?

National and international

business travelers

?

Seamless international travel

and enlarge geographic

coverage

Pentagram UK

Gerald Greenwald

Employee owned company

Corporate internal changes

Team work

Image Consistency

uniforms, aircraft interiors,

boarding areas

expected to start in 1998

E R A S


50/51

6 0

Bibliography

1 United Airlines Corporate Identification Program, 197 4 - revised in December 19 79 .

2 ibid. p 2 .3

3 ibid. p 2 .3

4 Fortune O ct. 1 4 , 1 9 96 v1 3 4 n7 p2 1 2(2 )5 Flight test: how annoying is your airl ine. Conde N ast virtual magazine.

http:/ / travel.epicurious.com/ travel/ planning/ 07 -flight test, 19 97 .

6 Tufte, Edward. Layering and Separation, Envisioning Information.

7 Solberg, Carl. Conquest of the Skies, A history of commercial aviation in America. Little,

Brown and company, 1979.

8 Gunston, Bil l, ed. Chronicle of Aviation. Chronical Communications Ltd, 197 8.

9 M orrison, Steven A. and W inston, Clifford. The Evolution of the Airline Industry. The Broo

Institution, 1 9 5 1 .

10 Zukowsky, John, Building for Air Travel, Architecture and Design for Commercial Aviation.Institute of Chicago and Prestel-Verlag, 1996.

1 1 H emisp heres Ap ril 1 9 9 7 .

12 Carlson, Edward E. UAL, Inc. N ew York: The N ewcomen Society in N orth America, 19

13 Lynn, Matthew. Battle of the Atlantic, M anagement Today, Nov. 1991 , p.48.

14 Kirk, Jim. American, Uni ted wage dogfight over Chicago, Adweek Eastern Edi tion,

n29, July 15, 1 99 1, p.3 5.

15 W oolsey, James P. W hat big United can do: traditionally a domestic carrier, the giant is

making a ma jor effort to secure a commandi ng international footing, Ai r Transport W orld,

n2, Feb 199 2, p.24 .

16 Underwood, Elaine. Clipping ads to boost service, Adweeks M arketing W eek. v33 , n2

June 1 1 99 2, p .1.

17 Heuslein, W i ll iam. Managing for the long haul, Forbes, v14 9, n1, Jan 6, 199 2, p.17

18 Underwood, Elaine. N ew fl ight plans, Brandweek, v38 , n10, Mar 10 , 19 97 , p.32.

19 M cDonald, M ichele. Airline industry reports strong results for second quarter, Travel W e

v54, n66, August 21, 19 95 , p.10.

References


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6 1

20 Unknown. 19 96 Readers choice awards, Conde Nast Traveler, October

1996 , p . 204 .

21 United Airl ines Graphic Guidelines for Environmental Identification, 1 99 3.

22 Giovannini, Joseph. Fred and Ginger Dance in Prague, Architecture, February1997 , p . 52 .

2 3 Rau, Leonard. Deregula tion and Design: The Cha nging Role of Identity at the

Airpo rt in Zukow sky, John, Building for Air Travel, A rchitecture and Design for

Co mmercial Avia tion. Art Institute of Chic ag o and Prestel-Verlag , 19 9 6 .

Interviews

1 Larry Clark, Head of Facili ties at United. Interviewed in April 19 97 , at the

head office of United Airlines in Chicago.

2 Don Duff, Corporate Archi tect at Uni ted. Interviewed in March 199 7, at the

head office of United Airlines in Chicago.

3 John Ruhack, retired Head of Advertising at United and actual l iaison man for

the new Corporate Identity Program. Interviewed in March and May 1997, by

telephone.

Handel Gothic - United Airlines

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