A Glimpse into the Newly Unveiled Nigeria Air Logo

Just a few weeks ago, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika unveiled the new Nigerian National Carrier that will be launched at the end of this year in London.

At a first glance, the logo looks just like a ribbon, but a closer look shows a flying eagle moving from right to left.

Many Nigerians have criticised the logo icon, name and tagline after the unveiling.

The key question for me is does it clearly communicate the right message? Does it echo the voice of the brand? Is it strong enough?

Let’s look at each of the elements in some more detail.

Logo Icon

Undoubtedly, with so many wonderful characteristics, the Eagle has been and remains a great symbolic representation to our Nation, but the idea of infusing it into a ribbon-like shape makes it look like a folded and extended version of the Nigerian National flag.

And the main thing I don’t understand is — why is our Eagle flying backwards rather than forward-ever?

The logo icon is a fail for me.

Color

What makes a logo successful is its ability to maintain its message in different colors. Unfortunately even the colour selection is a fail for me. Once converted to Monochrome (single color) — which is a necessary factor to consider when designing a logo, the Nigeria Air logo will lose its essence.

Design

If the principles of design are to be considered, this logo is deficient. It clearly lacks proportion and alignment. Without losing its basic shape the icon would be unreadable if branded on smaller materials. Have you pictured this logo inscribed on on a Pen?

I also think a more timeless font like Glober or Noir would have been better for the Logo typeface.

Tagline

“Bringing Nigeria closer to the world”

On a first glance, this makes me think of Nigeria as a prodigal son of ‘the world’ who pleads for mercy from his Father and wants to come back home. This is a demoralizing phrase for the giant of Africa. Rather, let the World come closer to us and see all the potential we have.

Conclusion

As a Creative and a Brand Identity Consultant, I propose that these highlighted key areas of deficiency in the logo be reviewed and adjusted.