Qantas Logo - Design and History

Qantas is the the national airline of Australia. Quantas was founded in Winton, Queensland in 16 November 1920. The name was originally "QANTAS", an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". I never knew that. Good trivia question.

Qantas recently unveiled a new logo in July 2007. The change to the logo was prompted due to the changes in the structure of the tail of the aircrafts. Qantas took this opportunity to make the design of their new logo a little more contemporary. The new logo was design by Hans Hulsbosch of Hulsbosch Communications.

Some of the changes in the new logo are below

1. The feet of the kangaroo are more visible and do not appear to touch the ground.
2. The tail of the kangaroo appears to be pointed more upwards than before.
3. The italicized font of the airline 'Qantas' is different and shows a more significant lean.  

1944-1947

1944-1947

 The logo has undergone 4 major changes since its inception in 1944. The original Kangaroo symbol appearing on Qantas aircraft was adapted from the Australian one penny coin. The kangaroo was painted beneath the cockpit of Qantas' first Liberator aircraft. Tha kangaroo is a feature of all the logos.

1947-1968

1947-1968

The original logo did not have any wings. The winged kangaroo symbol was created by Sydney designer Gert Sellheim, and first appeared in January 1947 to coincide with Qantas' introduction of Lockheed L749 Constellations. These aircraft began operating on the UK service in December 1947. They were the first Qantas aircraft to carry the Flying Kangaroo and the first to operate right through to London with Qantas crews. The kangaroo carried the globe with its feet.

1968-1984

1968-1984

In 1968, the Flying Kangaroo was later placed in a circle and the globe was dropped.  

1984-2007

1984-2007

In June 1984 Qantas unveiled an updated logo conceived by Tony Lunn of the Lunn Design Group, Sydney. The Flying Kangaroo lost its wings once again and was refined to a more slender, stylised presentation.