In recent news, President Trump announced that he is planning on changing the iconic design of Air Force One. No matter your political stance, I believe we can all agree on one thing- the current design on Air Force One is timeless, sophisticated, and creates a solid impression.
Did you know that the current design of Air Force One has remained unchanged since 1962? President John F. Kennedy, along with two of America’s style visionaries- Jackie Kennedy and Raymond Loewy- collaborated on the livery (a fancy word for the exterior decals) for the presidential plane. Not only was this design created by an admired artist, but it has quite the story behind it.
“Gaudy and Amateurish”
In 1962, a new pair of presidential planes had been specially made by Boeing. When these designs were released to the public, their exterior design was orange and red, typical of military planes. World-renowned designer Raymond Loewy, upon seeing these designs for the first time, is quoted as saying, “I was unimpressed by the gaudy red exterior markings and … the amateurish graphics of Air Force One.”
Once Jackie Kennedy caught wind that Loewy had critiqued the new planes, she immediately urged her husband to hire Loewy as the designer.
Turning a Big, Boring Machine into an Iconic Aircraft
Always mindful of how powerful impressions can be, the First Lady was fascinated by Loewy’s designs for notable American companies such as Coca-Cola, Lucky Strike Cigarettes, Electrolux, and many others. Loewy had a knack for coupling modern industrial and graphic design to create striking, classic images. American Presidents needed to make a good first impression when visiting foreign countries.
During their first meeting, Loewy and President Kennedy camped out on the floor of the Oval Office with paper, scissors, and crayons. Knowing Kennedy’s affinity for the color blue, Loewy rendered a design that incorporated two different shades of blue– slate and cyan- for the middle and wings. The top of the plane was left white, and the underside of the fuselage was left silver. Toward the front of the plane was the Presidential Seal, and on the tail was the American flag.
While in DC, Loewy visited the National Archives and was struck by the Caslon font used in the first printed copy of the Declaration of Independence. Having already ordered the Air Force to remove the current typeface on the aircraft, he was in favor of Loewy’s idea to use the country’s name set widely spaced in capital letters.
Americans received the new Air Force One design with great fanfare, as with most things the Kennedys did. While Jackie Kennedy’s timeless sense of style is attributed to the plane, Raymond Loewy was the mastermind behind it.
Own an Original Loewy Air Force One Design
You can get your hands on an original Loewy lithograph of this iconic design. It was inspected and initialed by hand in pencil by Loewy at The American Atelier in December 1978. Add this spectacular piece to your own collection today.
