Brisbane Airport celebrates 100th anniversary with a brand new look via Traffic Brand Agency

Brisbane Airport is today celebrating its 100th anniversary by unveiling a fresh new brand identity, reflecting the ongoing transformation of Queensland’s most important gateway. Traffic Brand Agency consulted on the project.

In April 1925, the airport’s inaugural airport groundsman, Andrew Lauchland, moved into the caretaker’s cottage of the Eagle Farm Aerodrome. Over the next 100 years this airfield has grown into Australia’s third busiest aviation hub.

Sarah Whyte, Head of Communications & Brand Marketing at Brisbane Airport, said the time was right for a brand refresh: “With our centenary, major improvements of both the Domestic and International terminals underway, and our $5 billion ‘Future BNE’ transformation well advanced, the timing feels right.

“In the years since we last refreshed our brand, the city of Brisbane has changed, the way we market our destination has evolved, and so has the airport. This new look reflects not only those changes but also the exciting new era that we’re entering as both the airport and Brisbane transform in the lead-up to 2032 and beyond.”

While the update to the brand is an important symbolic gesture, Whyte emphasised that the primary focus for Brisbane Airport remains the improvement of passenger facilities and services, and the infrastructure needed by its airline customers: “As a marketer, I’m very aware that our passengers care about their experience of travelling through the airport far more than they care about our logo,” she said. “But in addition to all the work we’re doing to make using the airport better, it’s important we also send a visual message about the optimism and excitement that is pervading Brisbane right now.

“And we also want the 20,000 people who work on site here to share the excitement we have about the years to come, and the important role that their airport will continue to play in the life of this region.

“Our previous logo was designed to be quite corporate and business-like, but today we want to signal a sense of anticipation, excitement, and the limitless possibilities that aviation brings. We think our new logo does that.”

The new Brisbane Airport brandmark retains the iconic jet streams of logos from the last decades, now represented as ‘ribbons’ that convey a greater sense of motion and freedom. The colors of the ribbons reflect the journey from land, over sea, to sky, mirroring the experience of taking off for a flight.

Says Andrew Begg, CEO and Creative Director, Traffic Brand Agency: “We were honoured to help reinvigorate the Brisbane Airport brand as it embraces an exciting future. The vibrant new brandmark, inspired by jet streams reflects Brisbane’s spirit and energy. The design system, draws inspiration from the dynamic shapes of the airport apron, forming containers for essential information. It captures a sense of freedom and progress, while staying true to the airport’s heritage and vision of connecting to the world and creating the future.”

Passengers and airport workers will start to see the fresh new look across terminal digital signs, social media channels, and the airport’s website, bne.com.au

Adds Whyte: “We’ve been working towards this for a number of years – removing old logos from thousands of locations across the airport,” Whyte said. “It seems our predecessors stamped a logo on anything that didn’t breathe, and there are still some vintage examples in the deepest darkest corners – we’re having some fun with the Brisbane Airport teams to help us sleuth them all out.”

Pictured (above): Horizontal Brisbane Airport Fleet Manager Greg Burke

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