the inspiration behind the new corporate function of Japan Airlines designed by Morisawa USA with custom logotypes and wordmarks
JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES, a corporate venture capital arm of Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. which invests in startups worldwide, has launched a new website with a fresh new logo design. Morisawa USA was privileged to be selected to provide Latin fonts and aid in the creation of the redesigned logo.
Based in Silicon Valley and Tokyo, JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES—whose core mission is co-creation with businesses around the world—is charging forward to create new values that lead to future contributions to global society. Always pursuing new innovation, the concept of JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES is as the “challenger out of Japan.” Tasked to create its custom logotypes and wordmarks for JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES, we at Morisawa USA aimed to display fearlessness and strength as well as trustworthiness. We selected Scout, a font with a practical, no-nonsense style, to give an impression of sturdiness and reliability. For the logotype, we selected Magmatic—a font that is close to Scout in mood but exudes a more industrial feel with varieties of weights. By adopting fonts that are similar in aesthetics but subtly different in their details, we were able to make the logotype even stronger, in addition to producing a website that displayed improved legibility while still maintaining its personality.
The wordmark emphasizes the forward slant of the V in the corporation’s name to produce an impression of fearlessness and speed, creating a feeling of movement and forging ahead. In line with the site concept, we employed black as the basis color, adding gold—a traditional Japanese color—as an accent.
JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES Website
“ We were excited to get involved with this project. Our designer, Marie Otsuka, created a logo that expresses the forward-looking directionality of the company. We couldn't have done it without San Francisco-based designer, Chiharu Tanaka, who assisted in communicating Marie’s concepts.
We hope that JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES will take another leap forward with the new logo.”
—Cyrus Highsmith, Creative Director of Morisawa USA
“ JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES is challenging to create new values as a venture arm of Japan Airlines Group with over 70 years of history, by co-creating with startups worldwide. We are honored to collaborate with Morisawa USA in the creation of a new logo that expresses the spirit of JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES. With their incredible support and guidance, we will be able to reach new heights and accelerate our corporate venture activities. We would like to express our utmost gratitude especially to Tomohiro Aoki, General Manager of Morisawa USA Inc. for making this valuable opportunity. As emphasized the letter “V”, we will continue to pursue innovation based on fearlessness and speed.”
—Yosuke Suzuki, Director, Head of Strategic Investment at JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES
To find out more about custom fonts and logotypes:
[ Morisawa USA Company Profile ]
Morisawa USA is a font consulting firm and a type foundry based in California. We want nothing more than to help you express your feelings and emotions through words, and in a variety of delivery methods. With our extensive selection of fonts, we can aid you in projecting your ideas, messages and products into the world. Let us help you communicate your passion.
[ JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES Profile ]
JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURES is the corporate venture capital(CVC) arm of Japan Airlines Group. https://japanairlinesventures.com
Japan Airlines (JAL) was founded in 1951. As a member of the oneworld® Alliance, it owns 224 aircraft as of March 2023 and, along with its partner airlines, offers a network serving 376 airports in 64 countries worldwide. Recognized as a 5-Star Airline by Skytrax and awarded “World Class” Airline by APEX, a North America-based non-profit organization, JAL is one of the world's most punctual airlines. JAL is committed to providing customers with the highest level of flight safety and quality in every aspect of its service and aims to become the most preferred airline in the world. For more information, please visit our website. https://www.jal.com/en/