The Virgin’s New Clothes

Virgin Atlantic have spent the last year and a half working with London’s Circus and johnson banks to reposition and rebrand Richard Branson’s “high quality, value for money” airline. The airline, born in 1984 under Branson’s ever-growing Virgin empire, quickly became profitable (selling a 49% stake to Singapore Airlines in 1999) and has pioneered offerings from new service experiences like flat beds to biofuel usage. Michael Johnson, Creative Director at johnson banks, has articulated a number of the key issues that emerged during the design process: Firstly, some early livery designs that used the full name “virgin atlantic” very large on the fuselage were very well received — a clear indication that the company wanted to return to calling