Last Sunday marked the passing of our beloved father, John Walter Bates, fondly known as "Jack." His departure leaves a deep void in our hearts, for he was a man of remarkable achievements, and his life was adorned with captivating narratives. Among these tales, one resonates profoundly with me – the saga of Alaska Airlines. Allow me to unveil it to you.
Immersed in the vibrant era of the 1970s, my father served as the Director of Marketing and Advertising at Alaska Airlines. During this pivotal period, the airline embarked on a transformative journey of rebranding. With just four 727 passenger jets traversing routes from Alaska to Seattle, complemented by a modest fleet of propeller-driven, short-haul aircraft, Alaska Airlines stood on the precipice of change. It was then that my father enlisted the expertise of Vic Warren, a distinguished graphic designer based in Seattle, to spearhead the branding initiative.
The vision was ambitious – to encapsulate the rich tapestry of Alaska's history and cultural heritage in the airline's branding. Vic's creative ingenuity birthed four emblematic motifs: a Native Alaskan totem, a Russian Orthodox "Onion Dome" church, a rugged "49-er" gold prospector, and a Native Alaskan adorned in a traditional hooded parka. In an era devoid of digital wizardry, the artistic process was arduous, requiring meticulous craftsmanship. Each image underwent a painstaking transformation, transitioning from grayscale photographs to refined graphics through a series of manual techniques.
However, the turning point in this narrative occurred during the presentation of the designs to my father. Initially confined within color-coded squares, the iconic representations lacked the aesthetic resonance my father envisioned. Drawing upon his own artistic sensibilities, he proposed a radical departure – enlarging the images to extend beyond the confines of the triangular tails of the planes, thus birthing the concept of the "supergraphic."
This groundbreaking innovation, unprecedented in its scope, posed logistical challenges. Yet, in a stroke of serendipity, inspiration struck my father during his daily commute. Passing by a hand-painted advertising billboard, he recognized the potential synergy between billboard painting techniques and aircraft livery production. Thus, through collaboration with Ackerly Billboards, the intricate process of enlarging and transferring visuals to aircraft tails was realized.
This clandestine chapter in aviation history, the genesis of the "supergraphic," bears testament to my father's visionary spirit and the transformative power of creativity. Decades later, in 2016, I found myself at the helm as the lead creative director, tasked with evolving the brand and livery that my father had helped conceive forty-three years prior.
As I reflect upon my father's legacy, I am reminded of the countless "Forrest Gump" moments he encountered throughout his life – unassuming yet pivotal episodes that shaped history. It is my fervent hope that by sharing these anecdotes, his legacy will endure, immortalized in the annals of time, lest they fade into obscurity like tears in rain.