What I explored:
Large-scale brand implementation across live, high-traffic environments
User journey mapping and passenger experience design
Accessibility as a design priority, not an afterthought
Sustainability in commercial spatial design
Coordinating across design, client, and execution teams on a live site
The relationship between brand identity and physical space
Site Visits & Understanding
We began at the airport — not to measure, but to observe. Walking the terminal as passengers, we noted what felt unclear, outdated, or simply not working. Through photographs, we mapped the zones, traced the passenger journey, and identified where Air India’s presence felt inconsistent or invisible.
Key issues quickly surfaced:
Queuing lacked any standardisation, and priority class didn’t feel premium.
Signage was chaotic — mismatched colours, fonts, and screens.
Welcome totems were cluttered and unconsidered.
Carpets were visibly worn.
The old Maharaja mascot still appeared, conflicting with the new identity.
The problem wasn’t one element — it was the absence of a unified system. Every touchpoint was speaking a different language. Our task was to bring them into one.
The check-in counter layout was completely rethought. Economy passengers and baggage drop were given the largest dedicated area. Persons with reduced mobility and those requiring special assistance were repositioned to have the first counter from the gate, not the last. Premium Economy passengers got dedicated counters. Priority counters were moved closer to the security check-in area. Cabin crew and supervisor desks were repositioned to the end of the counter row. Every decision was made by asking: what does this feel like for the person moving through it?
Brand touchpoints were introduced across the terminal, not just as signage, but as considered spatial objects. The dual-sided tent card, designed with a recycled metal base, featured the Air India logo etched on one side with ad space, and a biodegradable pen holder and notepad on the other. A small object, but one that passengers actually touch and interact with, a brand moment at the most mundane point of the journey.
Sustainable materials ran throughout: recycled metals, biodegradable elements, and energy-efficient solutions, ensuring that the environmental commitment of the rebrand was visible not just in communication but in the physical materials passengers encountered.
The execution phase was both challenging and rewarding. Ensuring consistency across multiple high-traffic airport locations while adhering to eco-friendly principles required meticulous coordination, sourcing sustainable materials, conducting on-ground site visits, collaborating with diverse installation teams, and managing the complexity of working in a live public environment where delays have real consequences.
Witnessing the transformation come to life, seeing passengers interact with the updated branding, navigate the redesigned check-in zones, pick up the tent card, notice the Namaste signage, was the moment it all became real.
The project has been fully executed across all airports in India and is now open to the public. Every passenger who flies Air India today moves through a space that was designed, coordinated, and executed with this process behind it.
