Global brand consulting firm Landor Associates has developed the brand strategy and identity for Russia’s newest regional carrier, Aurora Airlines.
Representing a major development in regional aviation for the country, the airline will serve Russia’s Far East region and is expected to transport almost two and a half million passengers a year by 2018. Aurora was created when state carrier, Aeroflot, merged its two subsidiaries, Vladivostok Air and SAT Airlines.
The launch is a significant boost for Russia’s Far East region, where the transportation market remains underdeveloped. Aurora is designed to enhance the economic potential of the area and increase the mobility of its population by providing affordable transportation.
Landor was tasked with developing the brand strategy and visual identity of the carrier, as well as a number of other applications, including staff uniforms, on-board equipment, souvenirs, advertising, transport branding, environments, and directional signage.
According to Emma Beckmann, managing director of Landor Moscow, Landor’s designers were inspired by ancient cave paintings from Russia’s Far East when creating Aurora’s new logo. “We used these ideas, merging them with the smooth curves of the infinity sign, to create an image suggestive of the comfort and quality of Aurora’s service,” she said. “This form exists throughout Aurora’s brand identity and was designed to add meaning and distinction to its identity.”
Landor is also advising the airline on its internal engagement program, designed to position frontline employees as brand ambassadors for the carrier.
Commenting on Landor’s work with Aurora, Emma Beckmann said: “In building Aurora’s brand, we wanted to do more than just build a strong logo. At Landor, we realize that branding is more about strategy and not just design for design’s sake. It’s about creating an overall experience, which may be graphic driven, digital, or physical in the form of the environment, or it could be an experience that responds to a particular idea achieved through any number of possible media.”