Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaii’s carrier since 1929, has built its visual identity around a single enduring figure: Pualani, whose name translates to “flower of the sky” in Hawaiian. The icon, a stylized Hawaiian woman with a flower in her hair, has appeared on the airline’s aircraft tails since October 1973, when she debuted as one of the first female icons painted on the tail of a commercial airline. The original 1973 mark was a red hibiscus flower with the silhouette of a girl on the right side of the flower. The face behind Pualani is Leina’ala Ann Teruya Drummond, Miss Hawaii 1964, who was selected as a model for a promotional shoot and became the inspiration for the logo in 1973. The logo has undergone alterations over five decades, but Drummond’s face has remained the common denominator in all its iterations. [1] [2] [3]
Design and History
The 1973 Pualani logo was designed by Landor Associates, the design firm founded by Walter Landor and his wife Josephine. [4] Over the next 28 years, only slight variations were made to the red hibiscus in her hair. In 2001, Hawaiian gave Pualani her last substantive makeover before the current identity, coinciding with the arrival of new interisland Boeing 717s and transpacific Boeing 767s. The updated logo, designed by Starr Seigle McCombs Inc., covered the entire 15-foot-high tail section of the new 717s, a significant enlargement from the smaller Pualani on the existing fleet. Hawaiian’s president at the time, Paul Casey, said the new Pualani showed “a maturity gained through some hard times” and was “stronger and determined” to represent the airline’s future. [5] [6]
In May 2017, Hawaiian Airlines revealed its current brand identity, developed with Lippincott, a global creative consultancy. The airline’s brand team and Lippincott spent a year studying the airline’s history, working with a committee of front-line employees, and immersing themselves in Hawaiian culture to arrive at the new design. The 2017 refresh retained Hawaiian’s distinctive color palette of purple, fuchsia and coral, and kept Pualani at its core. The new logo and livery emphasized Pualani by featuring her more prominently and “liberating” her from the floral “holding shape” of the former logo. In the updated mark, she gazes proudly with the wind in her hair, adorned with a hibiscus flower and framed by a Hawaiian sunrise. The livery also added a silver maile lei with woven pakalana flowers wrapping around the fuselage. [6] [7]
Meaning and Symbolism
Pualani, meaning “flower of the sky” or “heavenly flower” in Hawaiian, has served as a beacon of Hawaiian hospitality since her introduction in 1973. [2] The airline describes the face as “a promise to our guests that we offer something no other airline can, the warmth, care and generosity that are hallmarks of our Hawaiian culture.” [3] The 2017 refresh framed Pualani with a Hawaiian sunrise, and the expressive, organic graphics were described by the airline as reflecting the natural forms of Hawaii. The addition of the lei elements to the livery was intended to incorporate a “rich, meaningful cultural narrative” reflecting the carrier’s strong sense of place and identity. [6]
Typography and Design
The 2017 refresh included updated typography that, along with bright, emotive imagery, was designed to support Hawaiian’s positioning as a premium leisure airline focused on warm, hospitable service. The airline did not publicly identify the specific typeface used in the new wordmark. [6]
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