United Airlines Livery History
Joe LewisFew airlines have changed their visual identity as dramatically as United Airlines. Across several generations of aircraft, United has moved from traditional shield-based branding and the colourful Friend Ship era to the Saul Bass Tulip, Battleship Grey, Rising Blue and today's blue-focused fleet design.
This guide follows the history of the best-known United Airlines liveries, while also looking at the aircraft that carried them.
Looking for United Airlines aircraft artwork? Headwind Designs has a growing collection covering both historic and modern United aircraft, available as framed or unframed aviation prints.
United Airlines Liveries at a Glance
| Era | Livery | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1970s | Shield / early United schemes | Traditional United shield branding with red, white and blue identity |
| Late 1960s–1974 | Friend Ship era | Red, white and blue striping with large UNITED titles |
| 1974–1993 | Saul Bass Tulip / Rainbow | Red, orange and blue cheatline with the famous Tulip logo |
| 1993–2004 | Battleship Grey | Grey upper fuselage, dark blue belly and restrained Tulip branding |
| 2004–2010 | Rising Blue / Blue Tulip | White fuselage, blue underside and enlarged blue Tulip tail |
| 2010–2019 | Post-merger Globe | United name paired with Continental's blue-and-gold globe identity |
| 2019–present | Evo-Blue | Predominantly blue palette with an updated globe tail |
The Early United Airlines Shield Era
Before the Tulip became one of the most recognisable airline logos in the United States, United used variations of a red, white and blue shield identity. The shield had been part of the airline's branding for decades, although its exact appearance changed over time and its use gradually declined as United moved toward a more modern corporate identity.
Aircraft from this period carried much more restrained liveries than those that followed. The clean fuselage, traditional typography and shield branding make these early United aircraft particularly distinctive today.
For enthusiasts of early jet-age United, our collection includes artwork covering aircraft from this period, including the Douglas DC-8.
Browse historic United Airlines aircraft posters →
The United Airlines Friend Ship Livery
United's aircraft became considerably more colourful around the end of the 1960s and beginning of the 1970s. The airline's red, white and blue styling was closely associated with its long-running Fly the Friendly Skies advertising, and the aircraft of this period are often associated with the Friend Ship name.
The combination of strong UNITED titles, patriotic colour bands and classic widebody aircraft makes this one of the most recognisable pre-Tulip United looks.
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is especially closely associated with this period and makes a natural transition between United's earlier branding and the more radical redesign that followed.
The Saul Bass Tulip Livery
In 1973, United commissioned designer Saul Bass to create a new corporate identity. The resulting logo entered service in 1974 and became known as the United Airlines Tulip.
The mark was formed from overlapping shapes representing the letter U and was paired with red, orange and blue stripes running along the aircraft fuselage. The result was considerably more modern than the schemes that came before it and became one of the longest-lived identities in United's history.
The original Saul Bass aircraft scheme is also commonly referred to as the Rainbow livery. In 1988 the basic design was updated, moving the coloured stripes lower on the fuselage and allowing larger UNITED titles, but the essential Tulip identity remained intact.
United Airlines Tulip Posters
The Saul Bass era is particularly well represented in the Headwind Designs collection. Aircraft available in the classic Tulip colours include:
- United Airlines Boeing 747 – Saul Bass Tulip
- United Airlines Boeing 757 – Saul Bass Tulip
- United Airlines Boeing 767 – Saul Bass Tulip
- United Airlines Boeing 727 – Saul Bass Tulip
- United Airlines Douglas DC-8 – Saul Bass Tulip
- United Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 – Saul Bass Tulip
For United employees, former crew and aviation enthusiasts who remember this period, the combination of the Tulip tail and red-orange-blue cheatline remains one of the airline's most distinctive appearances.
BROWSE UNITED AIRLINES ARTWORK
The United Airlines Battleship Grey Livery
United made another major change in 1993. The bright Saul Bass colours gave way to a much darker scheme built around a grey upper fuselage and deep blue lower fuselage.
This became universally known among aviation enthusiasts as the United Airlines Battleship Grey livery.
The Tulip was retained on the tail, but in a reduced and more restrained form. Thin red, orange and blue stripes between the grey and dark blue sections provided a visual link to the previous Saul Bass colours, while white UNITED AIRLINES titles created a noticeably more corporate appearance.
The Battleship Grey scheme became closely associated with United's major international expansion during the 1990s and appeared across a large proportion of the mainline fleet, including the Boeing 727, 747, 757 and 767, Airbus narrowbodies, Boeing 777 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10.
United Airlines Battleship Grey Posters
Headwind Designs has Battleship Grey artwork covering several aircraft closely associated with the era, including the Boeing 747-400, Boeing 757-200, Boeing 767-200, Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10.
If you worked around the United fleet during the 1990s or early 2000s, this is likely to be one of the most familiar liveries in the collection.
- United Airlines Boeing 747-400 – Battleship Grey
- United Airlines Boeing 757-200 – Battleship Grey
- United Airlines Boeing 767-200 – Battleship Grey
- United Airlines Boeing 727 – Battleship Grey
- United Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 – Battleship Grey
Shop United Airlines Battleship Grey aircraft artwork →
The Rising Blue / Blue Tulip Livery
On 18 February 2004, United introduced another major visual change. Commonly called Rising Blue or the Blue Tulip livery, the new design replaced the heavy grey upper fuselage with white and introduced a much lighter blue palette.
The Tulip remained, but it was transformed into an enlarged blue graphic that filled much of the vertical tail. A series of blue tones separated the white upper fuselage from the blue underside, creating a much brighter appearance than Battleship Grey.
The design remained United's primary identity until the merger with Continental.
United Airlines Rising Blue Posters
Headwind Designs has Rising Blue artwork covering two aircraft closely associated with this period, including the Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 757-200.
Introduced in 2004, the Rising Blue or Blue Tulip livery marked the final evolution of United's Tulip identity before the Continental merger, making these aircraft particularly recognisable to crew and enthusiasts from the mid-to-late 2000s.
Shop United Airlines Rising Blue aircraft artwork →
The 2010 United and Continental Merger Livery
The 2010 merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines brought the end of the Tulip after more than three decades.
The combined airline retained the United name but adopted Continental's globe symbol and broadly retained Continental's blue, gold and white aircraft design. Updated UNITED titles were applied to the fuselage while the globe occupied the tail.
This was arguably the sharpest break in United's visual history because the long-established Tulip disappeared completely from the main brand.
Headwind Designs does not currently offer the post-merger Globe livery, so this period is included here for historical completeness rather than as part of the artwork collection.
The Modern United Airlines Evo-Blue Livery
United unveiled its next fleet paint design in April 2019. The updated scheme retained the globe symbol introduced through the Continental merger but removed much of the gold and shifted the aircraft toward a strongly blue visual identity.
The tail became a deeper blue with a lighter blue globe, while the UNITED titles became larger and more prominent. United described the design as an evolution of its brand rather than a complete replacement, which is why aviation enthusiasts often refer to it as Evo-Blue.
The modern United collection includes current-generation aircraft such as the Boeing 787-9, alongside Boeing 737, Airbus A320 and other aircraft in today's United colours.
Which United Airlines Livery Is Your Favourite?
United's history is unusual because several of its liveries have become recognisable identities in their own right. The Saul Bass Tulip represents the colourful jet age of the 1970s and 1980s, Battleship Grey is inseparable from United's international expansion in the 1990s, and Rising Blue gave the Tulip one final modern interpretation before the Continental merger.
For pilots, cabin crew, engineers, former United employees and aviation enthusiasts, the aircraft and livery combination often matters just as much as the aircraft type itself.
That is why the Headwind Designs United collection includes multiple versions of the same aircraft where historically appropriate, allowing different periods of the airline's history to be displayed together.
United Airlines Posters & Aviation Artwork
Browse United Airlines posters and aviation artwork covering historic and modern aircraft, from the Saul Bass Tulip and Battleship Grey eras to today's fleet.
Prints are available framed or unframed in a range of sizes.
Buy any 3 posters or more and save 20% automatically at checkout.
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