Will Rogers World Airport

[Zuplar]

I really like the colors as well. I just don't think anyone is ever going to look at that K and think it's supposed to be anything other than a K. At least with the trust logo it's obvious there is a plane and to me it's still pretty cleanly done.

[Pete]

The 'K' is a pit of a reach but the logo has more to do with a scissortail flycatcher.

Increasingly, the scissortail is being adopted by OKC for various branding.

[David]

I don’t know, I dig it. It’s clean, modern, yet has well-considered historical and environmental inspiration. And I love the color palette.

Thirded, it's a good design.

[HOT ROD]

The name change and new branding are not official as of yet. Believe city council also has to approve a new name.

The Airport Trust must provide approval and they will most likely consider it in August.

Then the new logo, name, and branding would start to happen this fall but would take quite a bit of time before everything was completely changed over.

aren’t those meeting just the official approvals (basically rubber stamp)? The airport trust seemed to indicate as much when the new branding was presented.

I think they’re delaying the approval so it all can coincide with the website refresh, which is more badly needed than the logo or even the branding itself.

[sooner333]

I'm probably in the minority, but I like the "World" designation in the airport.

[Timshel]

I kinda did too but for a bit of a perverse reason. In my mind an "international airport" implies international flights whereas a "world airport" is a bit of a meaningless phrase. Hopefully the switch to "international" in the name comes with international flights sooner rather than later.

[dankrutka]

I'm probably in the minority, but I like the "World" designation in the airport.

Agreed. I thought it was unique and modest… in a good way.

[HOT ROD]

and a bit of a tounge twister, w-r-w-a.

Yes, it was unique - I think Oklahoma City is/was the ONLY airport in the world to use "World" in it's name. But times do change, and since nobody else adopted "world" and the city is moving towards the return of international flights; International is appropriate moreso than the countless other airports who already use int'l in their name but dont have any customs inspection services onsite, nor non-domestic nonstop flights.

[Pete]

At first I thought this was a good, modern idea...

But in the end, we end up with yet another generic name and brand.

At the trust meeting, there was a lot of talk about moving away from the 'cowboy' image in regard to the airport. So, we hire outside consultants and we get a name and logo that could be from anywhere.

Reminds me of what we did with our state tourism advertising.


Why not embrace those things (cowboy, western, native American culture) that make us unique instead of trying to look like every other city and state in the country?

[PhiAlpha]

I'm probably in the minority, but I like the "World" designation in the airport.

Same here.

[Pete]

It's also one syllable (world) to say the same thing as five (in-ter-na-tion-al).

[PhiAlpha]

At first I thought this was a good, modern idea...

But in the end, we end up with yet another generic name and brand.

At the trust meeting, there was a lot of talk about moving away from the 'cowboy' image in regard to the airport. So, we hire outside consultants and we get a name and logo that could be from anywhere.

Reminds me of what we did with our state tourism advertising.


Why not embrace those things (cowboy, western, native American culture) that make us unique instead of trying to look like every other city and state in the country?

Yeah this really sucks. Just a sterile, word salad of a name and generic branding. Takes away anything unique to OKC. For a city that is often viewed as boring, flyover country by outsiders…we sometimes sure seem like we’re in a hurry to get away from the only things that truly make us unique from other big cities throughout the country and I don’t get it...especially with the seemingly large resurgence in the popularity of western/cowboy culture over the last few years. It’s the opposite of developing a brand and good branding (especially changing to such a long winded name).

[PhiAlpha]

I kinda did too but for a bit of a perverse reason. In my mind an "international airport" implies international flights whereas a "world airport" is a bit of a meaningless phrase. Hopefully the switch to "international" in the name comes with international flights sooner rather than later.

Who cares whether it’s called “world” or “international” all that matters is where the flights go.

[Pete]

I've always thought many people in Oklahoma have an inferiority complex and thus anything to do with cowboys, the West, or native Americans is associated with being backward Okies.

But look at Texas. They are an economic juggernaut and what makes them unique? The same cowboy, rough-and-tumble image (plus Latinx culture -- look at San Antonio) that they openly embrace.


When I first moved to California, I went to school with people from all over the country. A friend from New Jersey (undergrad at Villanova) had some of his pals come for a visit. This is how he introduced me: "This is Pete. He's from one of those big rectangular states somewhere in the middle."

[Jake]

I always loved the little logo of Will Rogers lassoing the world.

And yes, I agree. One of the few things that makes Oklahoma unique is its cowboy/Western heritage along with the tribes. After that, what is unique about the state? Tornadoes? They should lean into it more if anything.

[Pete]

And another thing...

The shape of Oklahoma is very distinctive, iconic in some ways due to our panhandle, and vastly underutilized.

It easily integrates into any logo or branding, yet it is barely used. Huge missed opportunity.


Similarly, I've always thought OU should make better use of the state shape for the same reasons and love the softball scoreboard.

I think OKC and OU should integrate the state outline in much more of their branding, especially since both are near the center of the state and have "Oklahoma" as part of their names.

Texas, California, and Florida frequently use the outline of their states to promote themselves and create awareness. We should be doing the same.

[Pete]

And yes, I agree. One of the few things that makes Oklahoma unique is its cowboy/Western heritage along with the tribes. After that, what is unique about the state? Tornadoes? They should lean into it more if anything.

Leaning into this would show confidence and pride.

Always shying away makes us look ashamed and desirous of of blending in.

[PhiAlpha]

I've always thought many people in Oklahoma have an inferiority complex and thus anything to do with cowboys, the West, or native Americans is associated with being backward Okies.

But look at Texas. They are an economic juggernaut and what makes them unique? The same cowboy, rough-and-tumble image (plus Latinx culture -- look at San Antonio) that they openly embrace.


When I first moved to California, I went to school with people from all over the country. A friend from New Jersey (undergrad at Villanova) had some of his pals come for a visit. This is how he introduced me: "This is Pete. He's from one of those big rectangular states somewhere in the middle."

Yeah…welcome to Oklahoma City it’s flat and modern, just like Kansas city or Dallas but a lot smaller. Check out our craft beer!

Pretty sweet, right? Very unique. Cool brand. SMH.

[Jake]

Leaning into this would show confidence and pride.

Always shying away makes us look ashamed and desirous of of blending in.

Agreed. Trying to blend in and outcompete other states that way is a fools errand. Other than the traits listed above, does Oklahoma do anything better than the majority of other states? No mountains, ocean, or good weather. Route 66 maybe? When you think about it there's nothing really marketable left. The state needs to use those traits to its advantage.

[Jake]

duplicate post

[Pete]

Typical thinking is that we should remove 'world' specifically *because* it's unique, and then replace it with a word that every other city uses.

[Zuplar]

Pete's right we should better utilize the uniqueness of our states shape, especially in logos. I personally have always loved the odd shape our state is, and I think it's easily recognizable by a lot of people outside of this state.

[bison34]

Typical thinking is that we should remove 'world' specifically *because* it's unique, and then replace it with a word that every other city uses.

But is it THAT unique? If it was, other cities would try to change their airport name.

Not bashing anyone, just curious.

[oktxatty]

I've always thought many people in Oklahoma have an inferiority complex and thus anything to do with cowboys, the West, or native Americans is associated with being backward Okies.

But look at Texas. They are an economic juggernaut and what makes them unique? The same cowboy, rough-and-tumble image (plus Latinx culture -- look at San Antonio) that they openly embrace.


When I first moved to California, I went to school with people from all over the country. A friend from New Jersey (undergrad at Villanova) had some of his pals come for a visit. This is how he introduced me: "This is Pete. He's from one of those big rectangular states somewhere in the middle."

Yeah, I used to get the line : "When it's 10:00 in New York, what time is it in Oklahoma? 1965."

[PhiAlpha]

But is it THAT unique? If it was, other cities would try to change their airport name.

Not bashing anyone, just curious.

Since when does that have anything to do with being unique?

By definition: