TANGER INE
PRIDE OF THE NATION
All eyes are on Japan, with the Rugby World cup in 2019 and the opening
of the Games of the 32nd Olympiad in 2020 – and JAL’s A350-900XWB
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ncouraged by the Japanese
government’s drive to increase
inbound international
passengers by 40 million in time for the
Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic
games, Japan Airlines’ (JAL) executives set
in motion an expansive programme for
their fleet, beginning with the purchase
of their first Airbus aircraft, the A350, for
its next-generation flagship.
At the same time, JAL issued an
international tender competition to select
a design partner to create cabin interiors
for the future. The brief was to express
JAL’s corporate philosophy, the “tradition,
innovation and the spirit of Japan”.
International design consultancy,
Tangerine was the team chosen to develop
the flagship A350 cabin interiors and
retrofit the airline’s international B777s.
Tangerine’s detailed knowledge of
Japan, having worked with Japanese
companies for almost three decades,
combined with the team’s expertise of
designing for renowned global businesses,
assured JAL that the London-based design
studio was the perfect fit to help them
realise their goals. The winning pitch was
led by Tangerine’s chief creative officer,
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
056 ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2020
Japanese culture. Tangerine’s design
needed to exhibit Japanese authenticity
and appeal to international passengers,
without alienating the home market.
Matt Round explains, “We created
a design strategy, ‘Infused Essence’,
which captures the essence of Japanese
culture and identity and embodies it in
a contemporary travel experience.”
‘Infused Essence’ is expressed
throughout the aircraft. A subtle evolution
of the airline’s livery introduces winglets
dipped in JAL’s signature red. The colour
diffuses gently into the white of the
Matt Round and creative director &
head of Japan business, Yuichi Ishihara.
JAL’s ambitions were to grow the
business and create a lasting impression
on both domestic and international
travellers. The design challenge was
how to create an onboard experience
that caters to the tastes of the domestic
market while appealing to the desires
of the international passengers that the
airline was hoping to attract. International
visitors to Japan are generally fascinated
by the country, but they don’t always
understand the rituals and values of
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/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com