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"Braniff’s image took a bold new direction in the 1960s with an identity program masterminded by Mary Wells. Architect and designer Alexander Girard and fashion designer Emilio Pucci contributed to a radical top-to-bottom re-design of the airline. Its aircraft were painted in a variety of hot “jelly bean” colors, heralded as “The end of the Plain Plane.” The company brand underwent several transformations from a futuristic styling of the BI initials and back to a unique block letter typeface. The identity changed once again in the 1970s under the designer Halston with a softer, cursive lettering of the company name. A fleet of stretched and updated DC-8 types, the Super 60 Series, was operated by Texas-based Braniff International Airways in the 1970s. Famed artist Alexander Calder conceived the colorful livery scheme for one of these aircraft, christened “Flying Colors of South America.” The chaotic period following airline deregulation in 1978, spelled the end of Braniff International Airways. Braniff’s strategy to meet this challenging period was aggressive expansion of new domestic and international routes. While successful in the short term, the company ultimately overextended and was forced into bankruptcy in 1982." This was posted to our Instagram account on February 17, 2022 – https://millsfield.sfomuseum.org/instagram/1763559601/
December 04, 2025