#dreamliner

Boeing 787-10 Saudia

Registration: HZ-AR32 Type: 787-10 Engines: 2 × GE GEnx-1B74/75 Serial Number: 40055 First flight: Jan 27, 2022

In 2023, Landor – now operating as Landor & Fitch – completed one of its most unusual aviation projects: the rebranding of Saudi Arabia's national carrier, Saudia. What made it unusual was not what was invented, but what was rediscovered: the agency's team, immersed in the airline's archives, concluded that the best course of action was to go back.

Landor & Fitch built the new visual identity around the principle of a "better past." Working in close collaboration with the Saudia team, the agency examined the brand's entire history, and the starting point became the 1972 livery – the same one the airline had revisited when celebrating its 75th anniversary. That livery was recognized as the purest expression of the carrier's identity and was given a new life in a reinterpreted form.

The three colors of the new brand identity – green, blue, and sand – were chosen to reflect Saudi culture and its deeply held values. The airline's emblem, featuring two crossed swords and a date palm, was reworked: the lines were softened and the image made to feel more open and welcoming. According to Landor & Fitch Executive Creative Director Ryan Frost, the aviation branding industry suffers from pervasive sameness: everyone plays it safe, and as a result, everything ends up looking alike. For Saudia, the opposite approach was proposed – not to mimic global standards, but to speak the language of its own culture.

The rebrand encompassed every passenger touchpoint: from the livery and logo to cabin interiors, lounges, uniforms, and even a signature scent. A unique sonic identity was also created for the brand, blending traditional elements of Saudi music with contemporary motifs.

In the two years following the rebrand, Saudia's brand value grew by 80%, while passenger numbers and sales increased by more than 20%. Perhaps this is the most compelling argument that authenticity outperforms universality.