Meaning and history
1962 – 1969
The first Korean Air logo was created in 1962 and only stayed with the air carrier for a few years. It was a modern and bright graphical emblem with no lettering on its official version. The badge featured a solid sky-blue triangular arrow, a stylized bird, pointing to the left, and placed a bit diagonally (up left), over the red circular frame. The frame boasted a geometrical ornament, looking like an ancient chain, formed by straight lines, resembling some Aztec-period drawings.
1969 – 1984
The old Korean Air logo features an abstract depiction of a bird, which can also be interpreted as a plane. The design is placed in front of a white circle with a red outline, which supposedly represents the sun. The lettering “KAL” (Korean Air Lines) can be seen below.
1984 – Today
The updated logo seems to have been inspired by that of Pepsi. At least the “O” made up of blue and white commas looks very much like the circle from the logo of the legendary soft drink.