Airbus

PriestmanGoode has worked with Airbus as strategic design and innovation partners for over 20 years. In that time, we have collaborated on a host of new cabin concepts including the A3XX, which later became the A380, the A350, A330neo and A320neo Airspace cabins.

Challenge

Since our partnership with Airbus began, the landscape of the aviation industry has changed immensely, with airlines now frequently customising interiors to reflect their brand. From custom lighting to impactful entrance areas, airline requirements for increased customisation has challenged airframe manufacturers to come up with features that can be easily adapted. Meanwhile, the airframers themselves need to retain their own distinct features to set them apart from their competition. Working with manufacturers at the source of the ‘metal tube’ allows us to design across the whole spectrum of aircraft interiors, from architecture to seat buttons, to create consistent passenger experiences.

Solution

With each concept, we have worked in close collaboration with the design team at Airbus to deliver distinct onboard elements, from spacious entrances to lighting features that are unique to them. Each concept is informed by technological advancements, changes in passenger behaviour and an ever increasing competitive environment both between airframe manufacturers as well as between airlines.

Our insight from working with airlines means we are uniquely placed to ensure the implementation of customisable elements, which will allow airlines to instill a sense of their own brand identity onboard, whilst ensuring the aircraft is recognisably Airbus.

Working together with the design team at Airbus, we have developed an overarching brand and design language that is distinctly theirs and captures the company’s spirit and its values:

• Comfort
• Space
• Efficiency
• Wellbeing
• Innovation

This extensive collaboration reflects the importance of working with designers from the outset of a project. Our partnership spans the whole process from ideation through to implementation, and includes building full scale mock ups to ensure that these new concepts will exceed customer expectations, facilitate a comfortable passenger experience and a smooth and efficient process for cabin crew and maintenance staff.

We have also worked with Airbus on creating marketing and promotional materials, including CGI imagery as well as animations created by our in-house visualisation team using VFX and greenscreen integrated content.