- Brand consistency lets a customer recognise one brand in every product, even when the products look different.
- Singapore Airlines unveiled four new long-haul cabins on 6 November 2026, designed by three studios with no shared colour palette.
- The new First Class keeps the airline’s warmth and craft. The new Business Class replaces them with a grey and yellow scheme.
- A brand system holds a short list of cues fixed and leaves everything else free to vary by product (Exhibit 1).
- Multi-product brands in Southeast Asia, from hospital groups to hotel portfolios, face the same test each time they add a tier.
SIA designed each new cabin to its own brief
SIA’s overhaul is worth about S$2 billion. It covers new seats, amenities, dining and service across all four classes, according to Aviation Week. The new cabins enter service from the second half of 2027 on SIA’s 41 retrofitted Airbus A350s, according to Wallpaper. The Boeing 777-9 will also carry them.
Three design studios shaped the cabins. PriestmanGoode designed First Class. Designworks, a BMW Group company, designed Business Class. Factorydesign designed Premium Economy and Economy.
The cabins do not share a colour palette. Business Traveller describes First Class in light blue, white and burgundy, with a warm and luxurious feel. Business Class uses a largely grey palette with yellow lines and silver accents. Its seat covers carry an embroidered pattern from NASA’s Juno mission in place of SIA’s batik motif.
SIA has explained the choice. "We do not subscribe to a fixed colour palette across our cabins," the airline told Mainly Miles. It said each product follows the vision set for that product.
Distinct cabins give each class a clear role
The case for distinct cabins is strong. Each class serves a different journey, a different fare and a different expectation. A cabin designed for its own use serves its passengers better than a scaled-down copy of the cabin in front.
Difference also makes the step up visible. A Premium Economy passenger who sees a distinct Business Class has a concrete reason to trade up. Designworks described its Business Class as "modern" and "progressive", according to Stomp. That aim is legitimate for a premium airline that wants to stay current.
Car makers manage the same tension well. A BMW 3 Series and a BMW 7 Series differ in size, price and interior. The kidney grille and the shared design language still identify both cars as BMWs at a glance.
Each cabin can have its own character, as long as passengers can still tell which airline they are flying.
A brand system holds a few cues fixed and frees the rest
Consistency and difference stop competing once a brand decides which elements are fixed. A brand system names those elements and protects them in every product. Everything outside the list is free to change.
Simon Lee, Managing & Creative Director of Vantage, made the same point in MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s coverage of the launch on 10 November 2026. "Being different is fine. Being disconnected is the risk," he said.
The fixed list is short by design. A long list turns into a template and removes the freedom that makes each product work. A short list keeps the brand recognisable and leaves designers room to solve each brief.
Exhibit 1: The fixed-and-free brand system
Exhibit 1 sorts the elements of a multi-product brand into those to hold in every product and those to vary.
| Layer | Hold fixed in every product | Free to vary by product |
|---|---|---|
| Signature cues | Logo, signature motif (for SIA, the batik) and core typography | Scale and placement of the cues |
| Craft standard | Quality of materials, finish and detail | Choice of materials |
| Service behaviour | Tone, rituals and standards of care | Depth and range of service |
| Colour and mood | One recognisable thread of colour or warmth | Overall palette and lighting |
| Form and features | Principles for comfort and ease of use | Layout, seat design and technology |
Exhibit 1. The fixed-and-free brand system. Vantage framework.
A product that keeps the fixed column can take any position in the free column. A product that drops the fixed column starts to weaken the parent brand, however good the product is.
The new Business Class steps outside SIA’s fixed cues
SIA’s current premium cabins share clear cues: warm tones, gold accents, the batik motif and careful craft. Thrifty Traveler names the warm tones and gold accents as the features that make SIA’s premium cabins inviting. The new First Class keeps these cues, and Business Traveller calls it distinctly SIA.
The new Business Class removes the batik and the warmth together. It keeps the craft and adds real improvements. Passengers get sliding privacy doors for the first time in SIA Business Class, a larger bed and an ottoman. Invited guests at the launch praised the space and the privacy, according to Stomp. Public reaction has focused on the colours. Some travel commentators compared the scheme to Spirit Airlines, a US budget carrier.
The cabin matters because of its scale. The new layouts carry at most six First Class suites per aircraft and between 42 and 70 Business Class seats, according to Mainly Miles. Business Class is where most premium passengers will meet the new brand experience.
Exhibit 1 shows how narrow the gap is. The new Business Class meets the craft and form standards. It misses the signature cue and the colour thread. Both can return without any change to the cabin’s modern character. SIA has not announced any change to the design.
Multi-product brands in Southeast Asia face the same test
Southeast Asian companies often grow by adding tiers. A hospital group adds a day-surgery centre and a premium wing. A hotel group adds a lifestyle brand beside its flagship. A bank adds a private banking arm. Each new tier needs its own character to sell.
The risk grows with each addition. A tier designed in isolation by a different partner can drop the cues customers use to recognise the parent. Singapore is a small market, so customers often meet several tiers of the same group. In that setting, the shared cues carry a large share of the brand’s recognition.
How far to separate tiers is also a brand architecture decision. Our guide to branded house vs house of brands covers that choice. The practical step comes before any design brief. Write the fixed column of Exhibit 1 for the brand, and give the same list to every design partner.
Related Vantage insights
- Branded house vs house of brands: how far a group should separate its products.
- What is a masterbrand: the parent brand that gives every product its credibility.
- How to create brand guidelines: the document that records the fixed cues.
- Brand distinctiveness and AI sameness: why recognisable cues matter more as categories converge.
About Vantage Branding
Vantage is a Singapore brand consultancy specialising in brand research, strategy, and identity design for ambitious organisations across Southeast Asia, with particular depth in healthcare, finance, government, and cultural-institution branding. Vantage builds brands that work as one system for established organisations, pairing research rigour with senior craft across strategy, identity, experience and activation. PMC-certified, with EDGE grant support for overseas expansion. For a conversation about how we could help your brand, get in touch.