XNA releases new logo, brand similar to Northwest Arkansas Council initiative

Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) in Highfill revealed a new logo on Wednesday (Jan. 5) after a rebranding in collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Council and designer Walrus.

Alex English, public relations and marketing specialist for XNA, said work to change the logo started after XNA board member Blake Woolsey suggested a rebranding.

“We know that our airport…can be the very first impression somebody has of Northwest Arkansas, whether they’re coming for business…for a job interview… as a visitor to see the sights, and we know how important that first impression can be,” Woolsey said. “It can make or break whether somebody wants to return or whether somebody wants to take a job and move to Northwest Arkansas.”

The new logo was presented in a virtual meeting and is similar in style to the lowercase nwa logo used with the Life Works Here initiative of the Northwest Arkansas Council.

Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council, highlighted the importance of telling a cohesive story with regard to visitors of Northwest Arkansas.

“The airport is the first and last impression that individuals have when they come here,” Peacock said. “It’s really important that they adopted some of the same style guidelines that we have. We are working through that regional initiative Life Works Here… to tell the story of Northwest Arkansas, so that we can attract talent and convey to the rest of the nation and world the type of lifestyle and job opportunities that you can have in Northwest Arkansas.

“We are a collection of communities each with their own identities, but collectively they share a lot of commonalities when it comes to quality of life, economic opportunity, inclusivity.”

Deacon Webster, chief creative officer of Walrus, said the new XNA logo includes an icon that provides a sense of flight.

“We’re looking forward to integrating it in all aspects of the airport as soon as possible,” said English, noting that the logo will be on the website Wednesday and that XNA will work with Creative in Fayetteville for branded merchandise. English added that the new logo will be added throughout the airport in a slow rollout over the year.

English said the rebranding cost was about $20,000.

In December 2019, the XNA board of directors approved changing the airport’s name to Northwest Arkansas National Airport, from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.