Cunard Queen Elizabeth refers to the visual identity associated with the Cunard Line’s ocean liner of that name, most notably the original RMS Queen Elizabeth that served the transatlantic route from 1940 until the late 1960s. The ship’s branding during this period was part of Cunard’s broader mid-century advertising and promotional material, which featured the company’s house flag and funnel markings alongside the liner’s name.
Design and History
The original RMS Queen Elizabeth was launched in 1938 and entered commercial service in 1940, operating as one of Cunard’s premier transatlantic liners alongside the Queen Mary. During the 1960s, the ship remained a prominent subject of Cunard’s marketing, appearing in posters, brochures, and advertisements that promoted transatlantic crossings between Europe and North America.[1]
In the early 1960s, Cunard’s advertising materials for the Queen Elizabeth typically paired the ship’s name with the company’s established visual elements. The Cunard house flag featured a gold crowned lion rampant holding a globe between its forepaws, an emblem that appeared on company materials and commemorative items.[2] The ship’s funnels carried Cunard’s distinctive red and black stripes, a marking that appeared consistently in period photography and promotional artwork.[3]
By the mid-1960s, Cunard was preparing a successor vessel, initially designated Q4, which would become the Queen Elizabeth 2. The Q4 design, created by Cunard typographer N. J. Butterworth, was used on merchandise and promotional items before the ship’s name was announced in September 1967.[4] This stylized Q4 mark was later replaced by the QE2 logo, which appeared on a wide range of licensed products including whisky, biscuit tins, jigsaw puzzles, and stationery.[5]
The original Queen Elizabeth was retired from Cunard service in 1968, and the QE2 entered service the following year. The current Cunard ship named Queen Elizabeth joined the fleet in 2010 as a sister ship to Queen Victoria, and Cunard describes it as a tribute to the earlier vessels that carried the name.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
Cunard’s corporate emblem, which appeared alongside the Queen Elizabeth name in company materials, features a lion rampant. The lion was chosen for its association with the Royal Standards of English and Scottish monarchs, reflecting the company’s connection to royal naming conventions for its flagship liners.[6] The house flag design incorporated the crowned lion holding a globe, a heraldic device that linked Cunard’s maritime operations to British royal imagery.[2]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
