CAE, a leader in the delivery of simulation training for the civil aviation, needed a new mark that matched its innovative offerings and forward-looking culture. With brief in hand, Gottschalk+Ash’s team started exploring graphic ideas that conveyed the impression of speed and velocity — for a company rocketing into the future.
After trying endless variations, playing with angles and merging forms, the final image is like an airplane wing cutting through the blue sky, hurtling towards a new day. But the image also needed to be paired with the right type treatment. Gottschalk+Ash started by exploring a range of sans serif faces but ultimately made the quirky but correct choice of a modified Palatino.
The client felt that the classic serif font spoke to the history of the company, founded in 1947. So at once the logo encapsulated CAE’s future and history, and was championed internally.