Making Virgin Atlantic red hot again.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

Virgin Atlantic airplane flying in the sky at sunset.

There are companies you admire long before you ever work for them. Virgin Atlantic was one of mine.

I'd spent five years inside the Virgin group, building brand across different parts of the group. But I’d been a loyal Virgin Atlantic customer long before that – someone who genuinely believed they did flying better than anyone else.

So when the new Head of Design asked me to join the creative brand team, it didn’t feel like a career move. It felt like the chance to help shape something I’d admired for years.

Bold. Human. Unlike anyone else in the sky.

Virgin Atlantic is Britain’s second-largest carrier and one of the most recognisable brands in the air. But in recent years, the brand had lost clarity – visual inconsistencies, conflicting signals, and a palette that had drifted toward pink with the launch of the new brand platform Depart the Everyday, quietly moving red away from the prominence it had always held.

The brand tracking had confirmed what some of us already sensed: the visual language, and red – the brand's most distinctive asset – had drifted far enough that customers were beginning to misattribute the brand for competitors.

Colorful scene with people and animals arranged to form the word 'LOVE' on a pink background. Includes elderly women, children, animals, and a person playing a saxophone, all engaging in playful activities.
Collection of marketing visuals for Virgin Atlantic and Delta Airlines, showcasing flights to North America, with images of city skylines, beaches, hot air balloons, and promotional offers.

From any airline to unmistakably Virgin Atlantic.

Re-establishing red as the dominant visual signal immediately restored coherence to the system. The brand regained a clear visual anchor – one that passengers, staff, and partners already instinctively recognised.

Audiences already knew what to expect from other airlines. Virgin Atlantic had never been that predictable. Instead of competing signals, the brand began reinforcing itself – with more clarity and confidence than it had shown in years.

Smiling man sitting on airplane seat with personal space divider, holding a travel brochure near window
A woman and a young boy on an airplane are smiling as he holds a toy dinosaur. They are sitting in seats near the window, with blue sky visible outside.
Assorted pastries on a black rectangular plate placed on a tray table in an airplane cabin with purple lighting.
A hand with red painted nails resting on a white table near a glass of sparkling water, a closed dark-colored wallet, a patterned notebook, and a pair of eyeglasses. The background features colorful, abstract lighting.
Empty airline first class seat with pink and purple accents, a window view of clouds, a glass of water, and a closed laptop on the tray table.

See the world differently.

Bold and dynamic destination imagery can visually transport you to faraway locations, build anticipation and inspire travellers to embrace new experiences around the world.

But frequent use of the same-same destination imagery of wide shot skylines and traditional shots of tourist hotspots had become predictable and stale, and wasn't differentiating Virgin Atlantic from other airlines.

I developed new art direction principles that gave the team a clear alternative to the generic travel imagery that most airlines default to. Interesting angles and viewpoints, clever use of reflection and perspective, intriguing takes on familiar destinations – always with a presence of red. Images that could only belong to Virgin Atlantic.

A woman covered in colorful powder blowing a handful of powder into the air.
A blurry scene of a woman wearing a white hat and coat, sitting outdoors at night with colorful red, white, and yellow lights blurred in the background, viewed through a rainy window with water droplets.
Close-up of a performer in traditional Chinese opera costume with elaborate makeup, headdress, and floral accessories.
The Empire State Building illuminated in red against a dark night sky, with a cityscape below.
Cityscape of New York with high-rise buildings, streetlights, and reflections on glass, with the words 'New York' illuminated in red on windows, during sunset or dusk.
A magazine page with a vibrant photo of a red taxi cab with Chinese characters and a green taxi sign, overlaid with white text that reads 'Flights to Hong Kong Daily, First flight departing Heathrow Airport September 2019.'
Split image with left side showing a hand holding a Virgin Atlantic airplane model in front of a sunset sky and a phone displaying an Instagram post with a woman throwing colorful powder. The right side features two billboard advertisements for Virgin Atlantic, one showing Big Ben in London with the caption "Big Ben, small fare," and the other showing the Golden Gate Bridge with the caption "More adventure More America."