ACUMEN D ESIGN
“ BUILDING EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS
REQUIRES MORE THAN JUST
APPLYING DESIGN AND INNOVATION”
1. ANA’S FIRST CLASS CABIN FEATURES
CUSTOMISED SUITES FROM JAMCO
2. ANA’S PREMIUM ECONOMY SEATS ARE
TRIMMED IN A BESPOKE NON-REPEAT
PATTERN PRODUCED BY ROHI
3. THE ANA DESIGN JOURNEY CONTINUES
IN ECONOMY CLASS
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Whilst the bed was the most important
brand signature, it was the freedom and
flexibility that the new suite offered that
made it a memorable brand experience.
The herringbone seat layout created an
opportunity to use the ottoman as a
temporary guest seat, which allowed
customers to sit opposite each other,
enabling a restaurant style of dining
which had not been seen on a commercial
aircraft since the golden age of travel in
the 1950s and 60s. With sleep being the
key element of its customer proposition,
BA did everything it could to maximise
comfort on board, creating many brand
signatures throughout the experience.
For example, sunset and sunrise lighting
scenarios were integrated into the cabin
lighting system – a first in commercial
aircraft at that time. Pre-flight dining was
introduced on the ground in lounges at key
airports, and an express Sleeper Service
menu was introduced to allow customers
to maximise their sleep on board. The
flat-bed innovation created a halo brand
signature; not only for the BA’s first class
experience, but also for the entire airline
as it redefined the way people fly.
For more than 25 years Acumen has
been lucky enough to work with some of
the world’s leading airlines, each with their
own distinct brand positioning. Creating
original customer experiences for these
airlines has required the studio’s team to
immerse themselves in many different
cultures, and to interpret their findings
into brand signatures, which are unique
to each airline’s provenance and heritage.
A JAPANESE JOURNEY
In 2014 Acumen was approached by
Japan’s largest airline, All Nippon Airways
(ANA), to bring a western perspective to
its cabin interiors and brand experience –
driven by the airline’s focus on new
product investment in order to attract
more overseas customers to Japan in time
for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. ANA asked
Acumen to work alongside Japanese
architect, Kengo Kuma, who added his
own signature Japanese architectural
style to the studio’s design vision.
The brief was to create a cabin interior
and brand experience for the airline’s new
fleet of B777 aircraft, across all passenger
classes. At the heart of the project was the
desire to create a ‘blue sky’ product for
business class that would differentiate
the airline from its competitors.
Other Acumen
design projects
include United
Polaris and Etihad’s
A380s & B787s
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