Tuesday, June 4, 2013

First Flight Livery - Marketing Game or Symbolism?

I almost had a heart attack when I saw a picture of the CS100's first test vehicle (FTV1) yesterday.  After a closer look, it was only partially painted, at least what I hope it was.  The photo was posted on Wikipedia on 2 June; it was a shot on airside.  

 
Recent photo of FTV1 in a partially painted livery.  (Source: Wikipedia)
















From a recent video of FTV1 in the paint hangar, the Paint Shop Manager did say that "today's goal is just to put a protective coat on all the composite surface."  Though the decals are already put on the fuselage, I hope this is not what is showcasing on first flight. 

 

Ever since the first roll-out event earlier in March, the FTVs were "livery-less", even the one displayed for the roll-out ceremony.  Not too sure how that was supposed to market the aircraft, at least in an artistically appealing way, but I personally think it could have been better than just the frame metal colour.  The initial Cseries livery was black, unattractively plain (see below).  It was evolved to a blue livery with clearly marked CS100 or CS300 on the tail, plus some patterns on the fuselage (see below).  


 
Cseries in its early graphical model livery.
(Source: Bombardier.com)


Cseries in its redesigned blue livery from the past 1 to 2 years.
(Source: Bombardier.com) 
   

  



Now, compare the recent partially painted shot to the blue livery.  They don't quite match.  Well, it also depends if the partially painted one is covered with some sort of white wrappers, and the golden CS100 tail logo is just part of the frame colour.  If so, it could eventually be painted like the blue livery.
 
Though in a unique blue, doesn't it make us wonder why most first flight aircraft are in blue.  Look at the recent A380, B787, and A350 liveries.  Perhaps, both Airbus and Boeing are blue, as in blue logos, representing the companies.  Bombardier, with a black logo, is sometimes seen in gold, like the business jets liveries.  If the partially painted CS100 tail is true to its "golden" colour, I would say it's better than the blue livery, making it more distinctive.  For marketing purpose, showcasing the aircraft with a unique specially designed livery is crucial.  Designing a livery that is marketable and at the same time symbolic for both the aircraft type and company branding is a creative project. 

Recent media focus had been on the Cseries and A350, as both companies expressed confident for the promised first flight date by end of this month. 
What is your recommended livery for first flight?