Brand Anew: Belavia Incorporates Belarus’ Fields of Blue

March 23, 2017  | Written by Katie Sehl

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APEX Insight: Every airline logo tells a story. Deciphering its narrative is key to relaunching the brand. In this section of the multipart feature, we look at how Belavia found the right shade of blue in its country’s own fields.

It’s not easy being blue when you’re an airline. “A lot of airlines are blue,” says Paul Wylde, chief designer on Belavia’s most recent makeover. In fact, there’s not one airline among the 10 highest-grossing in 2016 that does not prominently feature blue in its branding scheme. At first consideration, blue might be an odd choice for Belarus’ flag carrier, especially when the country’s flag colors are red, green and white. But, according to Wylde, the color wasn’t chosen out of the blue. 

One of the primary reasons was cost. In 2015, the Minsk-based airline was preparing to receive its first Boeing 737 aircraft and was low on finances to paint the livery. But since this was Belavia’s first Boeing order, the airline was able to benefit from the financing the airframer provides first-time buyers for marketing purposes. An average paint job for a 737 can cost upward of $100,000, and more paint equals more money – not to mention more weight and fuel burn. The prohibitive costs led the design team to focus on one-color schemes for the airline’s new “fresh and modern” look. With that design brief, blue’s not a bad choice. 

“The cornflower is a very important national symbol of the country.” €” Paul Wylde, Belavia

Belavia didn’t just opt for any blue, however. The airline went with cornflower blue, and that distinction is as patriotic as it is symbolic. “The cornflower is a very important national symbol of the country,” Wylde says. For Belarusians, the blue flower, which dots fields across the country, connotes a certain cultural currency and signifies happiness, friendliness and longevity.

The cornflower is clearly popular among Belarusians; a 2014 Facebook post by designer Ilya Andreyev suggesting the airline use the symbol generated enough likes to receive media attention.

The flower’s purplish blue color sweeps across the airplane’s belly, under the airline’s name (in Arial typeface), on the fuselage and up to the tailfin, where white space forms the flower symbol. “It’s amazing what you can do with one color,” Wylde says. On other platforms, the cornflower blue color and logo provide a versatile brand language, easy to implement on packaging, in airports and elsewhere.

“Some of the most limited jobs can yield the most creative results,” Wylde says. And while it may not be easy standing out with blue, he thinks there’s more to it than that: “It’s the brands with simplicity and clarity that stand out.”

“Brand Anew” was originally published in the 7.2 April/May issue of APEX Experience magazine.