Designing Airline Brands With Edmond Huot

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aiga-design-podcast/id1492167547

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In this episode of the AIGA Design Podcast, host Lee-Sean Huang explores the process of aviation branding with guest Edmond Huot. Their conversation also focuses on how to build and maintain relationships with various client and community stakeholders, including local and Indigenous peoples served by airlines and airports.
Edmond Huot is the Chief Creative Officer of Forward Studio, where he leads the New York City-based firm’s global branding practice, which focuses primarily on the airline, aerospace, and transportation sectors. A true AvGeek at heart and originally from small-town Canada, Huot started his career in the early 1990s. He has turned his childhood fascination with aviation into his career. Edmond has worked on a wide range of airlines around the world, from Hawaii to Alaska to sunny California, focusing on their brand concepts, passenger experience, and liveries.
The core of Edmond’s design philosophy centers around a deep respect for how airlines are cultural icons for their communities, nations, and the traveling public. He is committed to creating brand experiences that are authentic and resonate deeply with people. Storytelling is central to his design approach, using elements to convey an airline’s identity and values effectively.

“This consultant, they're going to make my lives miserable. I mean, that's... And I'm not suggesting even that people automatically think that, but...

Yeah, you're still rocking the boat a little bit, right?

You're rocking the boat a little! You're coming...

The plane is going through turbulence. We can use that metaphor for this, right?

Everyone buckle up, like, and have a drink. Can we just get some drinks here? Because we've got to everyone bring it down a notch.

Hello, and welcome to the AIGA Design Podcast, where we talk about professional development and creative growth for designers. I'm Lee-Sean Huang, Senior Director of Learning and Programs here at AIGA, and the host and producer of this show. First off, a special thanks to AIGA members.

Their support makes programming like this podcast available for free to the entire design community. So if you'd like to learn more and join AIGA, we're the oldest and largest professional association for design, please check us out on our website, aiga.org, or follow us everywhere on social media at AIGA Design. Now for our guest for this episode, Edmond Huot, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Forward Studio.”

“Based in New York City, Edmond is a leading creative director in the world of aviation design. So in this episode, we're going to trace a bit of Edmond's journey from growing up in small town Canada to arriving in New York City, how he got into airline branding design, and we'll get some of his insights on how he approaches his design challenges. Edmond, welcome to the AIGA Design Podcast.

Hi, thanks for having me.

So let's just jump right into things. I was really excited when your team first reached out to us. I grew up in Taiwan and then moved to the US.

And so I've been flying around to see family from a very young age and been obsessed with planes and all of that sort of stuff. So I'd love to just hear a little bit about how you got into this very specific niche of designing for airlines. Sure.”

“I think the beginning really started when I found myself in Canada on a farm, quite isolated from the rest of the world. Of course, I didn't know this, but all of that time alone was really, I think, my genesis for creativity, storytelling, and it all revolved around airplanes. Airliners travel.

And so from an early age, I really identified with this world that I never even sort of was experiencing on the ground. I would see these planes in the sky and I would see them on movies. And I just was super fascinated by what was going on inside those airplanes, in those airports, in those places where people are traveling similar to your story about how ubiquitous it's become.

There's that whole microcosm. And then for me, being a kid, it was sort of this fantasy world. And so I really immersed myself in that fantasy world.”

“And I think that's where I discovered my ability to sort of imagine a time and place that wasn't anything real, but just simply a fictitious idea. And it was all about refining sort of what that looked like. And then years later, of course, I would have realized I had used those skills to become a creative person and end up working with airline clients, which is kind of amazing.

So there's a bit about your origin growing up on this farm in Canada. Could you trace a little bit of like what brought you to New York City? Because you've also been in New York for quite a while now.

Yes.

But a little bit about that geographic journey since travel is such a theme of the show.

You're right. Well, I remember as I moved into a professional world, which was very entrepreneurial. So my business partner, Peter Clark, who I still work with today, and he's a good friend of mine, we've always done things together in respect to sort of business.”

“And so the first many years of my time in this business were spent in Canada, learning and perfecting my skills as a communicator, as a marketer, as a creative. And I think in 2005 or 2006, sort of after 9-11, there was this discussion that Peter and I had very randomly, actually, about like, what do we want to do now? I think at that moment in time, the whole world was paralyzed.

The business was sort of bottomed out weirdly. Like, it was just nobody was doing anything. And Peter and I, I think we're just sort of entertaining like really sort of big ideas and things that we were interested in.

And so I think he suggested to you, what about New York? Like, why don't we work in New York? And it seems crazy now looking back that he would have just said that.

And I was like, yeah, let's do it. Like, there was no real big plan. It was just almost arbitrary.”

“I mean, we always looked to New York as many people in the marketing world do and in advertising. I mean, New York is sort of the center of the world for that craft, for that business. So it made sense.

But fast forward another 10 or 15 years, and we actually had both moved to New York, set up residence here, built our clients. We maintained the business in Canada, digital media, but our focus on branding PR, graphic design, was something that we really focused on here in New York City. So looking back, it was a sort of a random conversation born out of something that was kind of negative, and we took a very positive view and pursued it.

And so yeah, I'm really happy that we made those decisions, I guess.”

“So yeah, thanks for tracing some of those steps and also talking about the breadth of your experience in terms of graphic design and marketing and all of those things. And that we're focusing on the airplane stuff today because it's particularly interesting. Since you've been in this industry for a while, I'm curious how you've seen how airline design has evolved and changed over these years that you've been working here.

Have there been trends or things that you've seen evolve within this industry in terms of branding and experience?

Yeah, I think the world of branding and design follows trends that impact how people live, how people work. So just from a consumer's perspective, their needs are then often reflected back by the companies that provide those services. So back in the day, there was still a bit of a gap between who traveled and who didn't.”

“And traveling has been very much democratized by innovation, the pervasive nature of the business in terms of airlines being able to cater to a vast array of needs, both in terms of like, oh, what can I spend on a ticket and what do I want out of my experience? And so what we've seen is just a real response to things that matter to people today that didn't necessarily matter as much 20 years ago. So obviously the environment, the impact that airlines have on the world that we live in and also the physical experience that people buy into or participate in when it comes to travel.”

“So on the aircraft or in the airport, there are so many things that technology has really sort of touched and impacted. I think the challenge as a creative working with clients who are looking for our leadership and our stewardship around the connection they have with that brand is one that requires a keen understanding of the technology. But to not lose sight of the very thing that was inspiring to me as a kid, which is as much as it is a business, as much as it performs a function with safety and marketing in mind, there is still this zeitgeist, this glimmer of nostalgia, romance, this idea of otherworldliness, this untethering, which again is sort of an abstract thought, but it's all about understanding the psyche that is human in us and what drives that.

So part of it is all the things I just mentioned, the cost of the ticket, the efficiency of the service, the safety, the regulation. But then there's this other idea, which is what's the dream? What are people aspiring to?”

“I think as a creative and someone whose job it is to provide that path for our clients, it's to understand and celebrate what that means to be human when you travel, whether it's this perception of glamour, whether it's this appreciation of traveling great distance to see people you care about, to never lose sight of that part of the equation and to figure out ways to weave it into product innovation and the efficiencies of the business. That's, I think, an important part. That's the part that I get the most enjoyment out of, figuring out how to build stories around things that we take for granted.

And what you see with certain airlines, especially in the low-cost space, is that it's really all about saving money. And you'd be surprised what people put up with. And ultimately, I don't know if they necessarily stick with it, but this idea of like, we're going to nickel and dime you for every aspect of your trip seems great on paper, but when you actually fly in that way, there's something missing.”

“And so even from a low-cost perspective, how are we elevating the experience for people so that it touches inside of us something that is really important and sort of like the human side of it. So respect is an important part of that. And I think when you understand how people feel when they travel and you try to elevate that experience, I think that's an important part.

So that's, I think, in answer to your question, a really crucial aspect to the design experience, which is the touching the human side of the equation, connecting with people and reflecting that in an ad, reflecting that in the design of the cabin, reflecting that in a service protocol, looking for those cues, those moments where, often they're subtle, they're small, they're not necessarily super overt. So yeah, that's, I think, important to me and our firm.”

“You've already started answering this question in a way, but I'll ask it again to go deeper and to also contextualize it with our theme, which is margins this year, both on the podcast and with our upcoming conference coming up in October. But speaking on standing out in the margins from other airlines, again, you've started talking about this already, but just thinking about this in my own experience, like, yeah, I'll shop around when I want to travel somewhere, look things up online, but I also have loyalty to certain airlines and Star Alliance and things like that. But then there's also sometimes where it's like the price only varies a little bit, but I'm willing to spend a little bit more if I know that the experience is going to be better on an airline that I know, right?”

“And so, how do you think about that in terms of standing out as an airline? Because there's also this culture, not just in airline design, but in branding in general, where we would get more and more homogenous, bland designs of late, and just playing it too safe. So I wonder if you have thoughts on that in terms of how do you stand out as an airline since there's so many of these touch points and decision points that travelers go through.

Yeah, that's a great question. And it's a question that follows me. The answers are somewhat different based on each case, but the idea of looking for ways to drive affinity.

I mean, this is like, you know, the account planner brings this into the equation. You know, let's drive affinity to the brand. But for me, what that means in my world, which is the designing of livery for an aircraft, or bringing the brand to life in terms of the look and feel, design vocabulary.”

“I think it's important, and what I've learned with some of our projects is you really have to do your homework in terms of understanding who is going to be flying that airline. For example, when we did a project in Hawaii where we were working with Island Air, which was the at the time the airline that was that we were working on, I thought the project was, I assumed the project was going to be make it shiny and fun and exciting and focus on beaches and, you know, it's Hawaii. What I learned was that, no, you in fact have to understand the purpose for how and why people travel from island to island.

So what we uncovered was a whole sort of microcosm of travelers that were very connected to their families. That culturally, family was very important. That people were using the planes to fly from Point A to B for their work or for family occasions.”

“So bringing sort of a local flavor and a sensibility to the communicating of the offer. So ads that use certain types of language or sayings that people could identify with who lived in those areas, as opposed to people outside of that world that thought, oh, that's very professional. That's a cool ad.

It's like, no, we have to understand, first of all, who's flying and speak to those people. And so for me, that was an exercise in history, understanding how people think, cultural significance, the indigenous factor, all things that in some ways slow down the process because it forced people to sort of learn, study, think, listen. But by doing that, I think our foundational place for moving forward graphically was sound.

And the brief was a stronger brief for our teams. And the work therefore resonated with not just the client per se, but the people that ended up using the airline comments that were made. It was an important and successful step for us was to learn about the communities, understand the history, and design in accordance to that, not what sometimes even the client might even want something really flashy.”

“We're like, well, hold on a second. Let's just slow that down. Understanding the margins means doing the research and understanding people and their lives as it relates to their culture.

We did the same thing for Northern Pacific Airways, which was servicing in part people that lived in communities outside of Anchorage. So again, it was really important to come up with visual motifs that were not going to be offensive to certain groups of people that you may not know about, but it was our job to learn about who those people were, reach out to them, listen to them. Often airline livery and branding projects are all about the community, even airport projects.

We did an airport branding project where the airport is a lightning rod for the best and the worst of people's experiences. So just really taking your time to get it right in terms of understanding what people needed from their airport or from their airline made a lot of difference in the end product in terms of the design, the creative.”

“You're really touching on another aspect of our margins theme, which is looking at marginalized communities, these communities that are geographically more isolated, whether they're indigenous or local, and thinking about what their needs are, not just the usual persona we think about of the jet-setting tourist, where one beach somewhere is probably the same as a beach somewhere else, for a certain segment of people versus someone who's indigenous to Hawaii and needs to go to a different island to visit their family members. You can't just drive there or take the train there compared to living on the mainland.”

“Yeah, what I learned was just how technology, people in remote communities often are very technologically savvy, and yet there might have been this idea that, oh, well, we can't do anything that's too, you know, the bandwidth or what, you know, so that was an interesting part of the discussion was technology and understanding what people were using, especially like Facebook for many remote communities is very, very popular, and it is the sort of the central platform that people use to communicate, you know, so doing that homework and understanding how people received information was crucially important from a planning perspective around how we were going to reach out to those customers with advertising or any kind of communication. But the distance and the separation from major hubs or city centers where people act in a certain way, and then you go to a remote community outside of Anchorage, and you have to understand very clearly how technology impacts their lives, because that is the main way that you're going to reach them. And then their ability to communicate with you, sometimes more advanced than we expected, like, oh, and that makes sense, because it's remote, so they're much more adept at using technology, the internet, whatnot.

“That's a great reminder of just going to where these communities, where your stakeholders are, both physically as well as digitally, whether it's Facebook or whatever other platforms folks are using to communicate and interact. I'm curious about the client side of the equation now, and exploring that. So, what happens when you get a brief or a client comes to you, like, hey, we need either a rebrand of our airline or we're starting a new airline?

Like, how does that happen? What are those conversations sound like?

Well, we don't typically pitch for a project where you're given the brief, everybody has the same brief, and you pitch to win the business, which is very in the ad world that is fairly common. In the consulting practice, which is more where we live and breathe, it is relationships where you're taking small yeses and turning them into bigger yeses, and the path is a little bit more, it weaves a little bit, it's not as direct. So, there's this nurturing of a relationship where you get to the point where enough people on the client side who have decision making ability are really now talking to you.”

“At the beginning, sometimes it's not necessarily somebody who can say yes, they can only say no, and that's fine, but it's a slow and gradual process. That's been our experience, is that it's relationships, it's referrals, it's those types of things where the conversation then yields to something much more specific, like it's been great chatting with you about what your thoughts are, here's our challenge, and then we get into like, okay, what are we going to do about it? So half the projects are rather specific and contained, and the other half of the projects are bigger opportunities that we define for and with the client.

Sometimes, so it's either like, oh, we need an update on this part of our website, or we have a promotion we'd love to get you to help us with. Those are fairly contained. On the other side of the equation, which is where I prefer, is when the client's like, oh my god, we need help.”

“I mean, those are very off the record, but those are the conversations that you're having with like a brand new CEO who's been brought in by the board to affect change, and he or she will say to you sort of in a very private context, okay, you gotta save my ass here. Like we gotta figure this out. The language is, it's just the whole thing is very personal, and I like that because it reflects a true need and a true challenge, and the person is like putting their faith in your abilities.

And so when they're like, okay, how can you help me help this company? That often is the starting point. So you often will bond with someone, I don't know, I think for us it's been usually like if you're like the CEO, you know, it's usually very, the board is usually this other beast that the CEO has to report to.”

“We don't really get too close to the board. We might present to the board of directors, but really it's the CEO who is saying it's up to me to authorize a very large initiative. I need to make sure I've got the right team.

Here are the stakes. Here's how high they are. Like, I lean into those situations.

Like the challenge is there. Like, don't F it up. And then once we sort of define, okay, this is what the extent of the project is going to be, then it becomes quite administrative because every aspect of that plan needs to be broken into projects and budgets and timelines.

So it gets quite complex. And as a partner, I'm definitely involved in that in terms of giving my inputs where I can. But I'm not really being engaged creatively until we get sign-off in terms of like, okay, yeah, these projects are signed off.

They're going to happen. Then at some point soon thereafter, I probably come into the picture with, here's the creative challenge. And it usually starts very broad.”

“And it's my job to sort of open that discussion up with the client very carefully in terms of imagining and talking in abstracts and using research to drive an insight that then becomes something very creative. Once we get that from the client, we get on the same page about the concept. Then it's all about bringing it back down to earth.

So here's what that concept looks like as a livery, as a website, as a, you know, whatever the touch point is. So it's sort of interesting that my job and the need of the clients go from very broad thinking to really specific and contextual and very broad. So I'm always trying to lead these individuals through that divergence, I guess.

And that's not always easy because often in the airline space, these clients think like operators. Their focus is really much more on the cost of running a safe and profitable business. The idea of storytelling and brand ethos at a tall order at times.”

“So that is really where the skill comes into play. How do you communicate a big abstract idea that is so important to people who are really thinking much more narrow? Like, okay, well, where's my logo?

Is that the logo?

No, it's not the logo.

Not yet. It's the story that inspires the feeling that will be the logo. That's kind of a very broad review of the kinds of projects we work on, how we engage, and then the trajectory for those projects in terms of a skill set that is about creativity.

Just to maybe summarize, synthesize some of what I've been hearing. There's a lot of relationship work that you have to do of the organizational politics and the relationships with management, senior management, CEO level, people, C-suite level, folks, as well as navigating some of this cultural divide between the people who are more on the operations side and optimizing and then bringing in and broaching those creative conversations. So what kind of time scale are we talking about for something like this?”

“When the client is coming to you saying, we need a big, it's a big challenge, a lot of heavy lifting, big ideas, it's like rebrand the whole airline. Those are actually more rare, those projects, I think, because most airlines already have something that needs to be changed. But the Northern Pacific project was literally like clean slate.

That project was a year and a half. And you could measure that in different ways, I guess, depending on the criteria. But yeah, all in all, it was about a year and a half.

Other projects are three to six months. We don't do anything in two weeks, unless it's very specific and it's, you know, I don't know. But generally, it's three to six months-ish or six months plus, you know, a year, whatnot.

And then, you know, the projects sometimes part of the phase one ends, phase two begins. And so they sort of ebb and flow or they spill over into. So there's a little bit of that as well.

But yeah, I would say that would be the timeline.

Yeah, that's helpful context to understand.”

“You have to have patience. You have to have like, I think the one of the insights that I would share with you in terms of like, how do you get through those projects? We're not a big firm and fatigue does set in.

You know, the momentum has its moments at the beginning. There's a lot of momentum and goodwill and people are usually very excited, nervous, but excited. But it's like, you know, month eight.

You're like, and you're usually mired in something that is a bit tedious. And you really have to be able to walk that line in terms of like understanding specifics, problem solving in real ways, but also being able to stand back and engage where we are at from a broader perspective. And that can be a little hard.

I mean, as a creative, I mean, sometimes my attention span isn't the best. Look, it's something shiny.

What's that? Let's go walk over that.

It's like, no, everyone's focus.

Totally.

It's a little bit tricky.”

“But yeah, and I think especially with these branding projects where you're dealing with like multiple stakeholders or just a large corporation, like the creative part of the work or the narrowly defined creative part of the work is probably just a small percentage versus like the kind of political stuff, the relational stuff.

Yeah, sometimes we work on projects where it's all funding based. So everything is about, well, we'd love to do this. Let's understand what that could be.

So it's all these proposals based on funding levels that they're trying to get. But then you have to wait until they get the money to do the project. But they want to know what they're going to get for the money.

And so a lot of back and forth at the beginning, just in order to secure the funding, sometimes the brand is paid for in part to get the funding. Sometimes your perspective takes a little bit of a beating because you are like, I've only come up with the brand, but they haven't funded it yet, but they need that.”

“Anyways. You have to make the business case sometimes of like, okay, you're spending X amount of money on these rebranding creative things. And then we think that that's going to increase sales by Y percent.

It's supposed to pay for itself. That's the argument you're trying to make based on your research.

Yeah, like private equity, PE firms, they often have a fairly good understanding of the power of brand, because that impacts the multiple on a business. They understand that. They're often helpful to us in terms of a client who may not understand the power of brand, then private equity gets involved, and they're all about, we want to make this profitable, and we can help you understand the connection.”

“Sometimes asking a creative the power of brand isn't the same as the CFO or somebody from a financial institution speaking about the power of brand. The ROI factor when spoken to from someone who's an accountant maybe has more resonance because they must assume that, oh, a creative is just trying to sell it through based on their imagination. It's like, no, actually, there is a case being made for how brand value is affected when you invest upfront.

And so, again, it's a lot of these conversations that are happening in order to stimulate and sort of align a group of people who are ultimately going to make the decision. And then when you hit that mark, it's really a relief in many ways. It's like, okay, finally, we're up with six months.

Wow. Here we go. Again, it's very fun for me because it's like, okay, I want to show people what we're going to do.

I want to, you know, no vision, no decision. Let's make it real for you so that, you know, we can make this happen in a more efficient way.”

“So it sounds like the big picture equation here is like the creatives aligning with the finance people to make the case to like move the operations people to understand, right, the value of brand, but from like the experiential warm fuzzy kind of stuff that we deal with as designers with the finance people who can like calculate the dollars and cents of some of this stuff, right?

Oh yeah. I mean, I've been on phone calls, Sunday night phone calls with some senior person on the client side where there's a lot of hand holding. And they're talking to you in a really casual way because they might be nervous and they just really need to talk about it.

It's kind of a hard thing to describe, but it builds huge rapport with people when on a weekend, Sunday night, let's say, and they call you up and they're like, oh my god, this has got to work, right? This is going to work, right? And you are reminding them how this can happen and where it can benefit them.”

“And sometimes it's just very personal. It's like, you know, don't worry, we're going to get this. You know, I understand your trepidation, but remember this.

And yeah, call me back. Let's talk again. Let's talk tomorrow.

Just a very human part of the decision making is, like I said, not handholding per se, but giving people permission to say yes in a way that is not necessarily in a meeting or an email or a document. It gets very personal. So those opportunities, as I see them, are crucial.

They serve a purpose. And hopefully, you know, with any luck, at the end of that project term where you're launching the plane and the media is responding well to it, you know, you get to look at your client over a drink or dinner and say, like, okay, we did it. You know, it's, it really is important.”

“It's like that journey, that arc. And that's how I see it.

So there's one more part of the client relationship equation that I'd like to explore, which is a lot of these airlines already have in-house creative teams, design teams. And so you're coming in as a consultant, also on the creative side, on the strategy side. Can you talk a little bit about how you manage that part?

I'm not sure.

There's so many touch points and assets that you have to create when you're thinking about all of the touch points of an airline brand. Obviously, you have to divvy up or divide up some of the labor and even the creative and strategic work. So how do you work with the in-house teams?

Very carefully, with a lot of respect. It can be a little political. But yeah, usually with the airlines that I've worked on, the in-house design component is really more of a production design component.”

“Like they're either doing maybe a flyer or a promotion or it's more mostly tactical. And then they bring our firm in to talk about a big, big idea. And so A, we have to meet and understand the people that are working internally, listening and looking for ways to bring them in.

So you're working together. So it's not seen as like, oh, great. Like, here comes this consultant.

They're going to make my lives miserable. I mean, that's, and I'm not suggesting even that people automatically think that, but...

Yeah, you're still rocking the boat a little bit, right?

You're rocking the boat a little. You're coming...

The plane is going through turbulence. We can use that metaphor for this, right?”

“Everyone buckle up and have a drink. Can we just get some drinks here? Because we gotta, everyone bring it down a notch.

So I think there's an initial getting to know people. Then there is a phase of understanding what people are really doing, how they're helping, so that you can align in the best way possible. Sometimes what I try to do is I will reach out very separately and independently with an individual like a designer, and have a couple of calls where we just talk a little bit about our worlds.

And I listen very closely to what they're talking about. Often they have insights, like the designer at an airline that has hired us, they have a lot of insight into sometimes the customer, because they're physically there often, and so you really can learn a lot from these people. And then conversely, I think to explain the process to them, how we work, and I think is a really important step.”

“As opposed to just like, okay, sending a directive over to somebody, I need this, and I need it for this reason. It can be a little abrasive, and I think if you haven't had taken the time to get to know people, and get a temperature read, at least, on how they see things, I think it's really important to do that. situations involve working with other consultants.

That's always fun. So it's like, you know, sometimes it's architectural firms that have to take their brand to cue from the branding agencies. Well, architects and branding people are kind of the same.

Like, we both think we're the big deal. You know, we both are solving big problems. And I think when you bring those two forces together, again, that's a challenge.

You want to make sure that from an architectural perspective, that you know where your line is. Like, I might have an ethos around the brand as it relates to color and typography and language and experience. But then the architectural firm has their area of expertise as well.”

“So again, it takes time, but you really have to find out where that connective tissue is and then build on that. But you can't really storm into those discussions with any type of preconceived notions. You really have to just like sidestep a little.

But again, consultants, they have their own sort of goals and ideas. Internal people have their challenges, their hot points. Who else?

I think other groups that we deal with are regulatory. Often regulatory is a big part of the airline world. So understanding what is possible, what is impossible, even from the perspective of painting the planes, there's all types of very specific rules and regulations.

So in those cases, it's just do your homework. They don't necessarily, they being regulatory, they just need to make sure those boxes are checked. So please know what you're doing to avoid as much as possible any friction.”

“Whereas consultants and individuals who work for the airline, those are, I think, more of a human connection, like you're getting to know people and you're figuring out how to communicate with one another efficiently. Regulatory is just like, don't cross the line, please, like know what you're talking about and do your research.

Do your research and then get to know the people that you need to have on your side. I really appreciated you learning about the different relationships, the different stakeholders that you have to engage in, these branding processes. I wanted to ask you about the future and then we'll wrap up with the learning question that we ask all of our guests.

Where do you see this industry going, whether it's airlines or airline branding in particular, and any future goals, or where do you see the future of Forward Studio?

Well, I feel like we have plenty more design projects to work on with clients. Our PR practice is interesting in that it is always keeping its ear low to the ground in terms of like, okay, what are the topical issues? Where are the challenges?”

“So the PR practice helps to feed where the world is at and what matters to companies and to consumers, which is great. And then from a design perspective or a creative perspective, I think this idea of redefining the jet age as it relates to the 21st century, both in terms of how people are going to travel subregional, regional, short haul, long haul. There was a period of time in the 50s when it was a brand new world, a brave new world.

And so the creative tone that was set back in the 50s and 60s reflected that sort of new era. We're past that now. Now I think we're looking more inward.

We fully understand that airlines can take us to exotic locations around the world. But what can airlines do for people who are living in dense urban communities? What can airlines do to help people travel short distances?”

“That, I think, is an area that is rather new, whether it's Evatol or what does that look like? And how do I, as a creative, take that new challenge and bring it to life in an inspiring way, similar to what we saw in the 50s and 60s? I mean, that's a really broad statement.

But there needs to be a very high calling for the raison d'etre of travel. And like I said, I think today's criteria is very different in terms of the environment and density of travel and all of what is in our reality today. But there still has to be sort of this overarching ethos and story.

And so I'm constantly trying to think about that as we talk to clients who are looking to introduce their new brand to the marketplace. Yeah, to me, that's exciting. And then also understanding the technology and the infrastructure.

Like, how does Yvette Hall work? And what does it really look like? And so just the planning around that type of business, forget about the creative storytelling, just like, okay, well, what, how does it work?”

“And who are the players? That's kind of where I'm at now. And we're trying to give our clients as much guidance and insight around those issues as possible.

And yeah, I'm really excited about it.

That sounds like a lot of different moving parts, making sense of like the past and that legacy, as well as some of the future challenges with technology, but also climate issues and how people are traveling in different ways.

Yeah, space, the idea of space and sort of that is, I mean, it's still sort of a novelty subject with people, but there's no doubt that that is going to be more and more part of how people interact with the world and travel. So some of it seems far-fetched, but it's coming to fruition.

And so to wrap things up, we have a question that we like to ask all of the guests on the show, which is about learning. So this can be about your core practice with the airline work, or it can just be about your creative life in general. But what is something that you have learned recently?”

“It could be a fact, a skill, an insight, and how did you learn it?

I was thinking about this the other day, the idea of time, past, present, future. And I was reflecting on how I tend to often want to look to the past. The past informs the future.

So often I'm telling stories and harvesting aspects of the past and giving them new life, new meaning for the future. So I was starting to think a little bit about, when do you start looking outward as opposed to looking inward? And one of my fashion heroes, Karl Lagerfeld, said and talked a lot about the future.

It's all about the future. I'm all about the future, I think is kind of what he would say. And yet, I forget how old he was when he died, but in his 80s maybe.

I mean, there's an older person, an elderly person, who is all about unconventional future thinking. And I was reminded about the importance of looking outward and not looking inward as much. Not only because it's an important aspect of ideation and inspiration, but it's also about harvesting positivity.”

“And because often in our business, we're dealing with challenges, human challenges, financial challenges. It's all about mitigating risk. Sometimes it's important to kind of get back in touch with the world around you, look up and look out, and to find ways to cultivate happiness for yourself.

It's a little out there. But to me, it's really important. And maybe it's because of where I am at my life in terms of my career.

I've been doing this for 30 plus years. And for me, I really need to think about that. And I have been contemplating that idea.

We spoke about it a while back, and I wanted to give it thought. And I think this idea of looking outwards and to the future, as it impacts your positivity and your sense of optimism, I think is really important. Very much, because today's world is one where there's a lot of cynicism in the world right now.

And clients bring that sometimes inevitably, because it's all about overcoming hardship. So I'm trying really hard, living in New York City, to find more optimism and happiness as I look outwards. That's my message for the day.”

“Yeah, I think it's so crucial, both for a creative career, but also in particular yours, as it involves travel and that is such a requirement for wanting to do that sort of thing and to continue going forward, right? So I've really enjoyed our conversation so far, and all of the insights that you've shared about relationships and managing them and all of the moving parts of this complex process of branding with Airlines. To take us out, can you share with our listeners where they can find your work and stay connected online?

Sure. Our website URL is forwardstudio.co and I would encourage anyone to check out what we've been up to. Certainly if you're a designer and you are interested in the world of aviation and airline, we're a boutique agency and we try to offer an experience not just for our clients, but for people that work with us that is intimate and hands-on.”

“So if you love design, if you're interested in aviation, and you want to get your feet wet in a real way as opposed to working for a big firm, check us out and feel free to reach out and get to know us.

Wonderful. Thanks again, Edmond, for your time today on this podcast. And thank you for listening all the way through, and thanks again to the AIGA members.

Your support, your membership, allows us to make shows like this and connect with designers and learn their insights and tools of the trade. So I'm Lee-Sean Huang. Here are you next time on another episode of the AIGA Design Podcast.”

From AIGA Design Podcast: Designing Airline Brands with Edmond Huot, Jul 15, 2024

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designing-airline-brands-with-edmond-huot/id1492167547?i=1000662289753&r=2581

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