The Delta emblem soars into the sky like a rocket. The emblem shows long and short-distance flights. Demonstrates speed care for the comfort of passengers, saving their time. The sign demonstrates confidence and strength.
Delta Airlines: Brand overview
Meaning and History
In 1924, the Huff Daland Dusters company was founded. It used airplanes to spray crops. After restructuring, it was renamed Delta Air Service. This name was associated with the Mississippi Delta, where the company had operated passenger service since 1929. Another rebranding took place a year later. Thus was born Delta Air Corporation, which was awarded the airmail contract. Then, regular cargo transportation began, and international routes to various destinations were opened. All changes were accompanied by logo updates.
What is Delta Air Lines?
It is an American air carrier, the leading carrier by number of destinations and number of airplanes, connecting all continents except Antarctica. It is a founder of the SkyTeam alliance.
1925 – 1928
The emblem of Huff Daland Dusters featured the Norse god Thor. He was blowing from the sky onto green fields, reflecting the company’s main specialty – irrigating crops from aircraft. The drawing was inside a triangle. To the right was the phrase “HUFF. DALAND DUSTERS INC. MONROE, LA,” written in a black serif font and divided into three lines.
1928 – 1930
When the company moved into the passenger business, it became Delta Air Services. The classic logo shape was retained, as the old badge was triangular, like the Delta symbol. It turned red and took on a black border with white lettering that read “SPEED SAFETY COMFORT.” Inside was a minimalist profile of the head of the Roman god Mercury and a rectangular plaque with the company name. In the background was a red circle.
1930 – 1934
In 1930, the company reentered aerosol aviation and returned to the original logo. The new name, Delta Air Corporation, was written along the sides of the triangle, and the space below it was filled with the words “MONROE, LA” with a dot at the end.
1934 – 1951
After signing an airline contract, the company renamed itself Delta Air Lines and began using a logo with the appropriate lettering. The name was inside a blue ring. In the foreground was a white triangle with a red border and wings.
1934
The designers surrounded the emblem with a black diamond-shaped frame and added new lettering that filled the entire space.
1935
In 1928, a new version appeared, but without the Mercury profile and the red circle. The logo consisted of three concentric triangles of different sizes: red and two blue. The smallest of the triangles had wings, the middle one had the company name, and the larger triangle had “SPEED COMFORT CONVENIENCE” written on the outline.
1945 – 1953
In 1945, designers developed the Flying D symbol. It was blue, oval, and contained stylized text. The main space was occupied by the word “Delta,” with the phrase “AIRLINES” at the bottom. The diagonal font created the effect of movement. In addition, the letters in the first line were bolded. A wing appeared in the upper left corner – “D.”
1953 – 1955
After the merger with Chicago & Southern Air Lines, the company became Delta C&S and updated its logo. The blue oval with the word “Delta” was replaced by “C&S” (instead of “AIRLINES”), a wide red and white border, and two red parallelograms with the phrases “Serving the Heart of America” (above), “and the Caribbean” (below).
1955 – 1959
In 1955, a second era in the history of Delta Air Lines began. The company returned to the 1945 emblem with minor changes. The designers made the oval red and placed it within a blue oval ring, which bore the slogan “NOTING FASTER – NOTING FINER TO AND THROUGH THE SOUTH.” The letters in the word “Delta” received dark blue shadows, and the phrase “AIRLINES” turned blue and appeared inside a white plate.
1959
In 1959, the luxury airplane service symbol was introduced. It featured the words DELTA Royal JET Service, with the odd words in grotesque purple letters and the even words in red handwritten script. At the top was a purple and red Widget icon consisting of two triangular arrows. All elements were framed by a gold border. This logo originally belonged to the Douglas DC-8 airliner.
1959 – 1962
The Greek letter symbol was turned sideways and shifted to the left. The purple word DELTA appeared on the right.
1962 – 1966
The logo is once again blue and oval. It resembles the classic Flying D design, but the lettering is white and flat, without the iconic wing. A red and white border was added to the oval. At the top was a red and blue delta-shaped badge.
1963 – 1993
The designers enlarged the triangular Widget symbol and placed it above the purple company name. The elements were inside a white circle with a gray outline.
1966 – 1976
On the left was a red and blue badge imitating a Greek letter. On the right was the black inscription “DELTA AIR LINES.”
1976
To commemorate the bicentennial of the United States, the company decorated the aircraft with the Widget logo, stylized as an American flag. Above was the inscription “DELTA AIR LINES” in the form of an arch, and below was the phrase “WE THE PEOPLE 1776 1976”. All elements were drawn in a white circle with a dark blue border.
1985 – 1987
In the mid-1980s, the airline used a light blue rectangular emblem. The name Delta Air Lines was written diagonally in a white handwritten script. The widget was located in the lower right corner.
1987 – 1995
The 1959 logo is back. The designers pointed the triangle upwards and chose a new italicized serif font for the word DELTA.
1993 – 1995
In another variant, the phrase “AIRLINES” was located at the bottom.
1995 – 2000
The font became flat and bold. The header was written in one line in front of the Widget. All letters except for the first one have been converted to lowercase. A lighter shade of blue was used for the words “Air Lines.”
2000 – 2004
The second half of the airline name was removed, and the bottom half of the triangular symbol was rounded. This was insisted on by Landor Associates to give the Widget a soft and attractive feel.
2004 – 2007
In 2004, the badge took on a classic angular look.
2007 – today
In 2007, the widget became red and three-dimensional. It remains this way to this day, complementing the blue word “DELTA.”
Font and Colors
The triangular airline badge was designed in 1959 by Robert Bragg of Burke Dowling Adams, although the original idea belonged to Richard Maurer. He noticed that the silhouette of the Convairs fighter-interceptor looked a lot like the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (delta) and reported his discovery to the head of the BDA advertising agency. The letter, sent in 1955, was accompanied by an issue of Shell Aviation News magazine with scenic photographs. The Widget now simultaneously represents the capital letter “D” and the arrow-shaped wing of an airplane.
The font of the current logo is as simple as possible: bold sans serif letters with equal line widths. The colors, on the other hand, are very symbolic. Red symbolizes aspiration to leadership, blue symbolizes the sky, and in combination with white symbolizes the US flag.
Delta Airlines color codes
Alizarin Crimson | Hex color: | #e21836 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 226 24 54 | |
CMYK: | 0 89 76 | |
Pantone: | PMS 185 C |
Vivid Burgundy | Hex color: | #98002e |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 152 0 46 | |
CMYK: | 0 100 70 40 | |
Pantone: | PMS 187 C |
Dark Cerulean | Hex color: | #003d79 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 61 121 | |
CMYK: | 100 50 0 53 | |
Pantone: | PMS 294 C |
FAQ
What is the logo of Delta Air Lines?
The Delta Air Lines logo is a red symbol in the form of two red triangles representing the Greek letter “D” – delta. Next to it is the first word of the airline’s name, consisting of dark blue bold sans serif letters.
What is Delta named after?
U.S. Air Lines is named after the Mississippi Delta. This region is located between the Yazoo River and the Mississippi River, so it is known for its developed agriculture and often suffers from flooding.
Is Delta blue or red?
Delta Air Lines passengers must go to the blue area to claim their luggage or check their tickets.
What is Delta’s tagline?
Delta Air Lines has a symbolic slogan that fits the airline perfectly while reflecting its rapid growth: “Keep Climbing.”