Brand at a glance
Follow Southwest from bold airline lettering to the Heart identity that puts hospitality, color, and employee culture at the center of the brand.
Red, blue, and yellow stripes turn hospitality and company culture into a flexible travel symbol.
Official source: Southwest official corporate fact sheet
Southwest challenged established carriers with bright aircraft, informal service, and direct regional routes. Its visual identity used strong color and approachable lettering rather than the reserved look of a traditional flag carrier.
The 2014 identity introduced a striped heart built from red, blue, and yellow. It translated the company’s people-first language into a standalone mark that could appear on aircraft bellies, apps, uniforms, and airport spaces.
Rounded lettering and a vivid palette make the name easy to recognize during booking and wayfinding. The heart can act alone when the brand is already clear, giving Southwest a flexible symbol beyond the aircraft tail.
Compare Southwest with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, carriers that also transformed national or directional symbols for digital travel.
