We’re Paterson Associates.

We help brands find their place in the world. We create and strengthen brands. We shake them up, find their energy, clarify what they stand for and help them to stand out in a busy world.

United

Looking and feeling United

United Airlines has recently merged with Continental Airlines, marking the next phase of consolidation in the industry. The United name was retained but sadly the brand identity, epitomised by the famous symbol designed by Saul Bass, was not.

In 1996, working with Pentagram partners Daniel Weil and Michael Bierut, www.pentagram.com, we evolved this famous identity. We helped United build a brand based on providing its customers with a more distinctive and consistent travel experience - an experience that looked and felt distinctly United, www.united.com.

The brand was based on the simple idea - ‘To be United’. We defined a personality for the brand to help United’s people see air travel from their customers point of view and to help their people gain the confidence to become more worldly and confident in their own style.

Daniel Weil and Michael Bierut worked with United for the past twelve years. We hope that the legacy of their work will continue to be felt by United’s customers even though the famous United symbol will disappear.