Opinion BY Clinton Duncan

Smile, you are on Candid Airport

Gatwick Airport, formerly London Gatwick airport, is the world’s 28th busiest airport, and until 2009, was owned by BAA, or British Airports Authority, just one amongst the many it owned in the south-east of England. Forced to sell after a government review came to the conclusion that one operator owning every airport in town was uncompetitive, the new owners turned to the experienced hands of branding consultancy Lewis Moberly.

The previous logo was, not to put too fine a point on it, pretty terrible — exactly as you’d expect from a monopoly. A confusing jumble of typefaces and type hierarchy, with an anonymous and generic mark, it looked exactly like an airport run by a conglomerate with no competition and no reason to try. The new type-based mark is but one step in the right direction, when perhaps a long haul flight was needed. Take away that tag line and one could be forgiven for thinking Gatwick is a toothpaste or a lady’s sanitary product. The curvy, signature-esque type seems entirely inappropriate for an airport, but it must be conceded that it makes sense from a strategic point of view. The new owners are doing everything they can to create a clean break from the past, and a less than stellar reputation amongst London travelers. But in trying to lose their stigma as a bad airport, the new identity loses all semblance of an airport at all.

Some of the imagery popping through Gatwick’s website.

From what little could be gleaned of the new identity in action, it appears the flowing curves of the logo are extrapolated out to the air stream of a jet in flight, and this stream creates the passing resemblance of a smile. Linking airports with smiling is a dangerous association to deliver on, and a feat to achieve. Indeed Sydney airport, courtesy of a repugnant idea from Frost Design, have resorted to inventing fake mental illnesses. So at least Gatwick has that going for it, it can’t be accused of inventing fake illnesses. However they are responsible for spreading other blights on modern society, fake tans and modeling competitions. Oh, the humanity…

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners