There was nothing wrong with Lufthansa Group’s recent rebrand. That, in many ways, is the problem.
The updated identity is calm, neutral, and system-ready — the kind of branding that passes smoothly through internal reviews, accessibility audits, and global rollout plans. The refreshed typeface is cleaner and the crane logo is subtly refined. It works across apps, aircraft, lounges, loyalty programs, and partner airlines. It offends no one, yet it surprises no one. And within minutes of encountering it, most travelers will forget it.
This type of rebrand is not a failure of design but rather is a symptom of a broader condition spreading across travel and hospitality: the rise of boring branding, or what writer Ben Schott has described as “blanding” — the systematic removal of character, edge, and specificity in favor of safety, neutrality, and consensus.
At a moment when travel brands claim to be obsessed with differentiation, many are doing
