Not all mythology is Greek. Yet, Greek mythology has become the most well-known while the rest of the cultures struggle to remain abreast of the commercial knowledge. It’s a shame, because with so many cultures out there, businesses love to use logo designs that are traditional, yet classical. The airline industry is one exception because they understand a nation can use its historical legendary deities for some powerful branding! These airlines know how to do it best.
Believe it or not, this logo is the product of crowdsourcing! The winning design was borrowed from Homa, a legendary Persian bird that was ‘always in flight’ and never rested. Iran air decided to use ancient bird enduring to represent its long flights in its logo that remains iconic even after 50 long years. It also epitomizes the Iran Air brand with the image of always being active, which would definitely be compelling to travelers.
The crane in Japan represents longevity, prosperity, and good health and its use in the Japan Airlines Logo can be considered cheery, especially by Japanese cultural standards. However, when rebranding the corporate culture JAL decided to change its logo design. Shortly after rebranding, JAL saw a decline that eventually led to the company filing bankruptcy in 2010. So what did they do when they came back? The right thing; they revived their meaningful original logo.
Considering EgyptAir is one of the country’s busiest airlines, the proud image of the Horus couldn’t have been a better choice for branding. After all, no one could hope to represent a nation’s #1 airline as well as—I don’t know—said nation’s winged sun god from said nation’s rich, ancient mythology. And if that’s not enough to convince you that Horus is an ingenious choice for EgyptAir’s logo, Horus was also said to be the sky itself.
This logo was pretty much meant for Srilankan Airlines. If you think it’s just a fancy peacock, think again. Sri Lankan lore references a flying machine that resembled a peacock called the Dandumonara Yanthra. The machine also happened to be what Ravana, an evil king from Hindu mythology, piloted. Well, okay, knowing that may not make someone say: “Awesome!” But the cultural significance of the peacock is still there, and SriLankan Airlines shows off that significance through its colorful logo beautifully!
The idea of winged elephants not only sounds amazing, but in Myanmar, they’re sacred and symbolize good luck. So what better way for Yangon Airways to brand its airlines than to use one of the country’s most treasured icons? It’s a proud-looking logo that naturally takes to the skies, and we love its powerful imagery!
Do you know of any other airlines with mythological creatures in their logos? Or maybe you know of another industry that often uses mythological creatures in their branding? Let us know by leaving a comment or tweeting us @ZillionDesigns!
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