Ryanair Logo

Ryanair Logo PNG

Meaning and History

What is Ryanair?

It is the largest European airline to reduce ticket prices by limiting the range of services. It was founded in Ireland in 1984 and is based in County Dublin.

The airline was founded by three Irish businessmen, two of whom were well acquainted with the specifics of travel and flights. One of them was the owner of the travel agency Club Travel (Liam Lonergan), and the second was the founder of Guinness Peat Aviation (Tony Ryan). The third founder was Christopher Ryan. They first named the new firm Darren Enterprises and later renamed it after themselves, using their surname. Having received wide recognition and trust among consumers, the company took up charter flights.

At each new stage of its development, Ryanair has modernized the logo. At first, it was a circular composition made up of three “R.” It was hard to read because the letters were almost unrecognizable. The modern version is fundamentally different from the debut: it is simpler, clearer and more clearly expresses the concept of the air carrier. It encodes two key elements: the harp (the main symbol of Ireland since the 13th century, an adaptation of the coat of arms) and the figure of a winged man (he personifies the desire to fly).

1984 – 1986

The original design depicted an emblem consisting of three letters “R” in red and blue. The word “RyanAir” was composed of very unusual glyphs. Instead of one line, the inscription was made in three lines (two blue and one white in the center).

1980s

This logo is a simplified version of the previous one. Repetitive lines have been removed in it, so both the inscription and the icon are visually easier to perceive. The designers removed the red dashes inside the three circular “Rs” and the parallel stripes from the airline’s name. In addition, they converted the “Y” from lowercase to uppercase and separated the “N” and the “A” on the right, aligning them with neighboring glyphs.

1990s

In this logo, the main changes occurred in the name of the air carrier. As a result, bold characters of the same size appeared. The developers strengthened the italics and made the internal elements of the letters open. Therefore, both “R” and “A” crossbars do not reach the opposite legs. The color of the emblem has changed to deep blue.

1990s – 2001

During this period, the image of a winged man, curved in the shape of an arch, arose for the first time. It is located sideways, and large wings are visible behind its back. They are so long that they form a space with four lines of different lengths. The stripes symbolize the strings of the harp and the movement from the flapping of wings. The company name Ryanair has been given a muted blue color.

2001 – 2013

The company name on the logo of this time is highlighted in bright yellow color and was applied over a blue rectangle for better contrast and perception. The letters are made in a rounded and pleasant font.

2013 – today

The design echoes the 1987 version, although the font has been simplified.

Font and Colors of the Emblem

For the Ryanair logo, the designers offered several types of custom-designed typefaces. Of course, at different times, they differed from each other but always remained grotesque and cursive. The changes that have taken place in modern times have brought the inscriptions to a completely different style. The letters have become even, vertical, and smooth, reminiscent of characters from the Core Sans N 83 Ex Heavy and Core Sans N SC 83 Ex Heavy fonts by S-Core.

The color palette of the air carrier is traditional for its kind of activity: it is blue and yellow. The company’s name is painted in blue, and the figure of a winged man in the form of a harp is painted in yellow. The first symbolizes the sky, and the second – is the sun.

Ryanair color codes

Video