Here are the logos:

Where?

Sorry for the cryptic posts, problems with my connection (image upload times out), will post as soon as I can fix the problem.

upload still not working...sorry

Here are the logos:

I have always loved the crane logo though I never cared for the placement of the JAL in it. The 2 newest seem so homogenized and the 1950s...well the 1950s one I just don't know what to say.

Jon

what in the world is going on!! Why is it that every major corp is including gradients now when its a major design faux-pas! Is there some new school that's teaching this? who's being all this. its really getting out of control.

It turns out that Landor is behind the redesign (as well as the previous brand they did in 1989).
More about it here.

here's an excerpt from the website:

"Landor's Solution
The new JAL mark reaches dynamically to the sky. It is derived from the motif of a rising sun, one of the best known icons of Japan. The mark is drawn in a modern way, is reflected in the red sun on the tail of the aircraft, and is set on a creamy parchment colored background reminiscent of handmade Japanese paper."

Alex, That justification for the mark by Landor sounds like so much hog wash. I agree with Tanya, just because you can make a good gradient, that isn't enough of a reason to use one.

> so much hog wash.

Increasingly it seems that any high-profile design outfit needs a Hogwashing Department to make their high fees seem worth it. And I believe Landor's people could host an entire conference on the fine art of porcine lavage.

hhp

God, what a load of crap-o-la. I think the 50s logo, while a bit militaristic somehow (and a bit Enterprise-y also, still looks best. Simple and straightforward. The crane is nice, reminds me too much of the basic idea behind the Lufthansa logo, which is better executed. The new logo looks terrible, like a twisted piece of sweets (we have a kind of laquorice here that looks similar).

And gradients aren't only a major technical problem they also look like s***. It's the return of the 80s Corel Draw look, ladies and gentlemen...

Daniel, I completly agree with you and Tanya, I just posted the Landor reference because I always find it interesting how companies "explain" their design to the client/general public. I think it happens so often nowadays and the explanations are usually so vague that you could apply them to just about anything. My problem is that they're trying to elevate this design to some other realm, I mean, "...derived from the motif of the rising sun...The mark is drawn in a modern way...," are they serious? Like HD said, it looks like a candy cane.

The rising sun symbol was an empire symbol and its not something that the Japanese should be proud of (Naking anyone). I digress, I met one of the designers of the Japanese Zero when I was 15, his name was Dr.Akira Okya he was born on one of the most northern islands of Japan and the people from this Island tend to be very tall, he was 6'7" or 6'9". One of the requirements of a designer of that period was they had to try out their own inventions. So he was stuffed into the back of a Zero and taken on its maiden voyage. He said it was the scarest ride of his life.

I loved that old crane logo. My Mom lifted a spoon from an in-flight meal back in the 70's and I, in turn, lifted it from her house when I moved out. Just for that old logo. Classy!

Oops. Stopping the browser in mid-upload for a minor text edit is not worth it.

I love that old 1950's J(A)L logo, it's a natural (though it could definitely do with some gentle updating).