New Work: 15 Years of Star Alliance
The Star Alliance is the world’s leading global airline network, serving over 600 million passengers each year across 980 destinations around the world. Founded in 1997 with five member airlines, the network has grown to include 27 member airlines, more than any other network in the world. This year the alliance celebrates its 15th anniversary and has commissioned Justus Oehler and his team at Pentagram Berlin to create a special mark for the occasion. Oehler created the original Star Alliance name and identity in 1997 and has been responsible for the organization’s communication and brand design on an ongoing basis.
For the anniversary, Oehler and his team have created a mark that is paired with the existing Star Alliance identity. The number 15, set in the alliance’s corporate typeface Helvetica Neue Thin Extended and underlined by the word “years,” is elegantly positioned in a black square. The top stroke of the number 5 is curved upwards and breaks through the side of the square, symbolizing the movement of an airplane taking off and flying away.
The anniversary mark has been applied to a variety of items, from printed announcements to advertising, merchandising and even the livery of Star Alliance aircraft. On the actual birthday (14 May) visitors to Star Alliance airport lounges were given a compass with the message: “Wherever your business takes you, we help you navigate the world.”
Project Team: Justus Oehler, partner-in-charge and designer; David Steingrüber and Sonja Scharrer, designers.