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The original
Speedbird was designed in 1932 for Imperial Airways by Theyre Lee-Elliott. It was initially used on advertising posters and luggage labels. Later, it was applied to the nose section of the company's aircraft and could be seen for example in 1938 on the company's
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ribbon bears a tangential resemblance to the original
Speedbird. "Speedbird" continues to be used by British Airways as the ICAO callsign for its main international services. On its domestic services, it uses the callsign "Shuttle".
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In 2019, the
Speedbird emblem returned to use by British Airways with the unveiling of their BOAC-liveried Boeing 747-400 retrojet to celebrate 100 years of BA and its predecessors.
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The
Speedbird survived for another ten years, finally being retired in 1984. It was replaced by the speedwing, which was itself replaced by the current speedmarque in 1997.
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to identify aircraft and their operators, BOAC chose the name of their now well-known logo, "Speedbird", as their call sign when in flight.
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In the mid-1960s the design of the
Speedbird was slightly altered, with a slimmer "body" and larger "wing", and on the tailfin coloured
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was an office block at
Heathrow Airport. It was originally the headquarters of BOAC and, until the company moved, of British Airways.
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David H. T. Scott, Poetics of the Poster: The
Rhetoric of Image-text, Liverpool University Press, 2010, Chapter 2.
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With the creation of BOAC in 1939 the logo was retained, continuing to appear on the noses of aircraft throughout
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design representing a bird in flight it is instantly recognisable and has a timelessly modern appeal.
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on a white background or vice versa, and also using it widely elsewhere, such as on airport buses.
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and the
Airmail logo. Many of his paintings and original artworks are in the collection of the
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on a navy blue background. Elsewhere the colours used for it were mostly a combination of
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From 1950 BOAC gave the
Speedbird greater prominence on the aircraft using it on the
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Theyre Lee-Elliott was a graphic artist and painter working in London in the 1930s.
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and the logo echoes
Kauffer's angular bird forms in his 1918 poster for the
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The Speedbird is among his best known works. The minimalist, stylish and
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697:"Speedbird Offshore Yacht Club, Mercury Marina, Hamble near Southampton"
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BOAC's Speedbird, one of the classics of airline and advertising design
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is also the name of one of the British Airways Sailing Club yachts.
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Theyre Lee-Elliott (1903–1988): Graphic Designer, Artist and Writer
280:(open 1975) still has "Speedbird" decorating its platform pillars.
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Hatton Cross tube station displaying three Speedbirds on a pillar.
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is a road near the Colnbrook Bypass, close to Heathrow Airport.
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is the stylised emblem of a bird in flight designed in 1932 by
481:"British Airways: Looking back at our most memorable liveries"
571:"PICTURES: BOAC 747 retrojet marks British Airways centenary"
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David H. T. Scott (2010), "Visual Metaphors: Airline logos",
495:"The Aviation Codes Website – Airline Codes beginning with"
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Other notable works by Lee-Elliott include posters for the
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261:, a new corporate look was adopted in 1984, developed by
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Piedmont airlines : a complete history, 1948–1989
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599:Victor Margolin (2015), "Great Britain 1918–1939",
57:– for 52 years. The term "Speedbird" is still the
538:"BRITISH AIRWAYS UNVEILS BOAC 747-400 RETROJET"
431:, Liverpool University Press, pp. 37–43,
1073:Concesionaria de Líneas Aéreas Subvencionadas
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649:"Speedbird: The History of Piedmont Airlines"
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625:Airline : identity, design and culture
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241:Boeing 747-400 displaying the post-1997
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661:from the original on 22 December 2021.
623:Lovegrove, designed by Keith (2000).
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1463:British Overseas Airways Corporation
1034:British Overseas Airways Corporation
51:British Overseas Airways Corporation
16:British Airways emblem and call sign
814:British Airways Maintenance Cardiff
1078:Corporación Dominicana de Aviación
1061:Compañía Española de Tráfico Aéreo
1049:Compañía Aero Marítima Mallorquina
317:Lee-Elliott was influenced by the
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1404:List of airline holding companies
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1414:Speedwing World Network Services
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603:, Bloomsbury, pp. 128–129,
257:As British Airways prepared for
1382:British Airways ethnic liveries
513:"BA Call Signs – PPRuNe Forums"
95:improved C-class flying boats.
1029:British South American Airways
204:In 1974, BOAC was merged with
196:Speedbird logo on the nose of
147:that had replaced the airline
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1116:British Airways (BA) Limited
1017:British Midland International
470:, Profile Publications, 1966.
468:The Short Empire Flying Boats
457:(retrieved 11 September 2015)
397:"Heraldry of Air Transport",
216:design now occupied the fin.
742:International Airlines Group
342:Victoria & Albert Museum
1039:British Airways Helicopters
809:British Airways Engineering
143:despite the military-style
135:The speedbird on a BOAC bus
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976:History of British Airways
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1139:British Regional Airlines
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627:. London: Laurence King.
278:Hatton Cross tube station
229:displaying the post-1984
1012:British European Airways
999:Air Panamá Internacional
206:British European Airways
82:" – an Imperial Airways
818:Gatwick Ground Services
601:World History of Design
405:(1): 48, January 1959,
325:Edward McKnight Kauffer
298:'s 1917 poster for the
296:Edward McKnight Kauffer
1356:Antonio Vázquez Romero
1322:Stockport air disaster
893:Sun-Air of Scandinavia
356:logo was designed for
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265:. Referred to as the
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119:On the nose of a BOAC
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429:Poetics of the Poster
352:A somewhat different
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61:for British Airways.
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1004:British Airways Ltd
169:and the adoption of
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1377:Airways Flying Club
776:Aer Lingus Regional
549:Australian Aviation
543:Australian Aviation
287:Design significance
208:and others to form
167:air traffic control
165:With the advent of
338:London Underground
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39:Theyre Lee-Elliott
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1129:CityFlyer Express
971:History of Iberia
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499:www.avcodes.co.uk
453:Glenn H. Morgan;
358:Piedmont Airlines
263:Landor Associates
200:G-BOAD at takeoff
107:Speedbird in the
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70:Imperial Airways
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1361:Willie Walsh
1104:subsidiaries
1088:Level Europe
985:Predecessors
919:Destinations
804:BA EuroFlyer
799:BA CityFlyer
759:subsidiaries
700:
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552:. Retrieved
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520:. Retrieved
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466:Norris, G.;
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141:World War II
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1313:Air Nostrum
1150:franchisees
1118:(2012–2015)
1064: [
1052: [
1006:(1935–1939)
902:Investments
888:Air Nostrum
881:Franchisees
554:21 February
320:avant-garde
312:avant-garde
271:Speedmarque
243:Speedmarque
184:and white.
127:during WW2.
53:(BOAC) and
1452:Categories
1285:Aer Lingus
1111:BA Connect
926:Aer Lingus
909:Air Europa
768:Aer Lingus
749:Operations
634:1856692051
522:19 January
384:References
214:Union Flag
171:call signs
145:camouflage
93:Short S.30
1419:Waterside
1398:Speedbird
1176:Incidents
1124:OpenSkies
868:IAG Cargo
860:IAG Cargo
822:OpenSkies
411:0015-4806
378:Speedbird
360:in 1948.
354:Speedbird
267:Speedwing
231:Speedwing
160:navy blue
84:Albatross
80:Frobisher
59:call sign
35:Speedbird
27:Speedbird
1437:Category
1392:Oneworld
1162:Loganair
1093:Viva Air
1044:Clickair
659:Archived
323:work of
198:Concorde
156:tail fin
86:in 1938.
1022:Bmibaby
959:History
850:Vueling
654:YouTube
65:History
41:as the
29:emblem.
1349:People
1332:Comair
1306:Others
1276:BA5390
1271:BA2276
1266:BA2069
1225:IB1456
1183:Iberia
1157:Comair
1148:Former
1102:Former
994:Aviaco
936:Iberia
832:Iberia
679:
631:
607:
545:Online
435:
409:
399:Flying
149:livery
121:Ensign
1387:Fleet
1370:Other
1297:EI164
1292:EI712
1261:BA476
1256:BA268
1251:BA149
1241:BA009
1220:IB933
1215:IB610
1210:IB602
1205:IB504
1200:IB401
1195:IB350
1190:IB062
1068:]
1056:]
911:(20%)
845:Level
125:Accra
1246:BA38
677:ISBN
629:ISBN
605:ISBN
556:2019
524:2018
433:ISBN
407:ISSN
182:cyan
178:gold
109:BOAC
99:BOAC
45:for
33:The
25:The
1318:BMI
1454::
1324:,
1066:es
1054:de
699:.
657:.
651:.
573:.
547:.
540:.
515:.
497:.
446:^
413:,
403:64
401:,
344:.
333:.
151:.
1400:"
1396:"
1328:)
1320:(
734:e
727:t
720:v
703:.
685:.
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558:.
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245:.
233:.
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