JAL, Japan’s major airline company, have announced that they will be reverting to their original crane logo, dating back to 1959. This move comes as a part of several structural changes aiming to give the group a fresh start in this new decade.

Cranes are glorified birds in Japanese folklore and are considered emblems of beauty, grace and good fortune. The symbol is traditionally called Tsurumaru (鶴丸) and was used as a kamon —a family crest— by the Hino family (日野家) in feudal Japan.

The old-new logo boasts a new typeface and a slightly modified shape, albeit hardly visible in the low resolution specimen illustrated above. The italicized type alluding to movement is appropriate for an airline company, while the closed, round shape of the wings gives a strong sensation of safety, paramount to any business operating in the air transport industry.

I don’t know what happened to JAL in the early 00′s, but at least they seem to be taking off in the right direction, once again.