Qantas Accor Partnership Branding
Brand Strategy & Design | Dentsu
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Strategic Branding Solutions in Sydney: Elevate Your Identity with IAMJAMES
Insight
When two iconic brands—Qantas and Accor—came together to form a strategic partnership, the challenge wasn’t just about combining frequent flyer programs. It was about merging two powerful visual languages and tones of voice in a way that honoured both identities while creating a cohesive new expression.
Idea
At Dentsu, I led the design direction to define a brand identity that made room for both brands to shine—distinct, yet unified. The core challenge was ensuring each brand retained its integrity while still feeling part of a single, seamless offer to customers.
The creative solution lay in identifying a subtle yet powerful commonality: an angular slice found in both logos. I used this shared geometry as a visual device to connect the brands—quite literally. It became the foundation of our logo lockup and evolved into a versatile motif across visual collateral. The slice wasn’t just a graphic flourish; it became a symbol of collaboration, movement, and precision—shared values that resonated with both Qantas and Accor.
Equally important was developing a tone of voice that could flex between the two brands. Qantas speaks with pride and polish; Accor brings warmth and welcome. The new voice had to be informative without losing elegance, personal without becoming casual. Whether in editorial, UI copy or promotional material, the tone offered consistency while giving space for brand nuance.
My work on the project spanned from initial concepting through to final brand delivery. This included designing the dual-branded logo lockup using the ‘slice’, defining its usage rules, and crafting a unified yet adaptive visual language. I also created desktop and mobile editorial mockups to show how the partnership could come to life digitally. Everything was brought together in a comprehensive brand guidelines document, covering visual identity, tone of voice, UI treatments, layout principles, and responsive behaviour.
Impact
The result was a brand system that felt considered and cohesive, not by blending the two brands into one, but by designing the space between them. The partnership was not only recognisable—it was strategic, elegant, and unmistakably aligned.
