Des Moines International Airport

In June 2025, Des Moines International Airport introduced new branding. To be clear, I did not create this branding. My first reaction was that it was clean and modern, but I felt it had a couple of weaknesses. Namely, it includes very small details that will get lost when the logo is small or viewed from a distance. I also thought the chosen color palette left a bit to be desired. Therefore, I decided to spend some time on a creative exercise to see how I would approach a rebrand for our local airport.

Simplify

The first thing I questioned about the new logo was the tiny bits. Namely, the new branding attempted to incorporate an airplane and the words “INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,” but they were so much smaller than the DSM that I feared they would be lost in smaller branding applications (e.g., website, inventory stickers) or even large applications viewed at a distance.

I was also concerned about the cohesiveness of the design given the placement of “INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT” below the swoosh. The spacing there was such that the eye did not associate these words with the rest of the mark. In fact, I did not even notice the “INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT” text until I had studied the logo for some time.

Finally, I wanted to better convey a sense of motion by suggesting a bit of three-dimensionality. This, after all, is the essential function of an airport.

With all this in mind, I decided to simplify the design. This involved increasing the size of the airplane and its swoosh to the same scale as the DSM and removing “INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT” altogether. I believed that the combination of DSM, which is a common abbreviation for Des Moines, and the icon of an airliner adequately conveyed the identity of the organization. I also enlarged the swoosh which was already present in the design to make the notion of motion much more prominent. I then tucked its tail behind the D and brought its head out in front of the M to create the illusion of three dimensions.

Colors

A good logo, I believe, is effective in one color. This is important when you are printing t-shirts or other applications where multiple colors means multiple passes and, therefore, significantly increased cost. However, we do not live in a monochrome world, and a little color in a logo can send a powerful message. With this in mind, I next began exploring color palette options.

The official new logo featured a deep blue and aqua. I expect the idea with these choices was to convey the idea of the sky. Blues also tend to evoke calm, peace, and trust, all of which are important when you are boarding an airplane! Additionally, on the airport’s Facebook page, this was placed against a background with multiple shades of violet.

The concern I had with this palette was two-fold. First, on a color wheel, the blue and aqua were very close to adjacent. I judged the deep blue to be in the Azure family, and the aqua to be in the Cyan family. Colors in adjacent families can be paired fairly easily, especially when you are using three color families in sequence. The violet family, however, is not adjacent to the Azure family, and the result was that the eye recognized a bit of dissonance.

When considering which colors I would pick, therefore, I decided that I would stick with the deep blue that was already the primary color of the logo. This color evokes the sky and calm confidence. I further decided that I would replace the violets that were chosen with two lighter shades in the Azure family. Because the selection was essentially different shades of the same color, they were certain to go well with each other.

Second, I was concerned that there was not enough excitement in the palette. You see, I am at heart a big kid, and airplanes still fascinate me. In fact, the notion of boarding an airplane to travel somewhere makes me almost giddy. Thus, I resolved that the logo of the Des Moines International Airport needed a little more excitement in the form of a bright, bold accent color.

The choice was immediately obvious. In color theory, the opposite side of the color wheel is often the place to go looking for a high-contrast accent color, and since the opposite of blue is orange, that is exactly what I picked.

When I applied this palette to the logo I had created, the result was exactly what I hoped for. There was the calm reassurance of a blue base with a pop of exciting orange.

Tag

Once the basic wordmark was established, it was time to put it to work. The Des Moines International Airport’s Facebook page had incorporated the new branding into a banner image toting the airport’s 30+ nonstop destinations and the myriad connections which could be made at various airline hubs. The slogan adopted on this banner was “TRAVEL EASY.” This was fine, but when I consider an airport, the thing I am most excited about is the moment when the wheels lift off the ground and we take off.

In fact, “taking off” suggests a number of great, related themes. For instance, a business is taking off when it is doing well, and a community is taking off when many businesses and people are thriving. Further, the Des Moines International Airport is currently undergoing a massive expansion, which has been billed as key to our community’s ability to thrive in the next couple of decades.

With all of this in mind, I upgraded the marketing tagline, incorporated the new color palette, and came up with a new banner for the Facebook page.

I was not entirely happy with the way the swoosh came out in background of this image, but because this is only a creative exercise, I did not commit the extra time to make it absolutely perfect.

So there you have it! A quick creative exercise in the form of a “What would I do if…?” Clearly, this is just an exercise. Des Moines International Airport has just unveiled its new branding, and they are certainly not going to replace it this quickly. However, if you would like my take on branding for your business or organization, let’s get started today!

Jeremy