Issued in 1956, Hawaii – Fly Northwest Orient Airlines turns a Pacific destination into a buoyant arrangement of colour, lettering and abbreviated forms. A brilliant yellow field holds green mountains, a blue-fronded palm, small figures and curling blue-and-white waves, while a red-and-white aeroplane crosses the upper right. Rather than constructing a naturalistic view, the poster assembles recognisable signs of island life into a bright, immediate promise of escape.

Produced for Northwest Orient Airlines during the postwar expansion of commercial aviation, the design belongs to a period when airline advertising helped make long-distance holidays appear increasingly attainable. Hawaii was still a United States territory in 1956, three years before statehood, and its presentation as an accessible Pacific playground formed part of a wider culture of destination marketing. Here, flight is sold through suggestion rather than detail: sun, sea, tropical vegetation and leisure are compressed into a single polished graphic statement.

A closer look

The wide, asymmetrical composition is anchored by the large brown word “HAWAII” near the upper centre, with bold lettering beneath it creating a clear promotional hierarchy. Its weight contrasts with the lighter, scattered illustrations around it. The aeroplane is comparatively small, yet its red accents make it conspicuous against the yellow ground; suspended above the landscape, it provides the visual link between airline and destination without dominating the scene.

On the left, a palm tree rises in clean, branching lines, its blue-green fronds standing apart from the smoother silhouettes of the mountains. Nearby, an elongated figure in yellow is set against the green terrain. The treatment is deliberately simplified: clothing, body and landscape are reduced to distinct blocks of colour, with crisp outlines keeping each element legible. Rounded clouds and the absence of cast shadows preserve the poster’s uniform brightness.

Towards the lower right, the imagery shifts from land to water. A stylised wave pattern curls in alternating blue and white, balancing the palm on the opposite side and extending the tropical theme across the horizontal format. A second, smaller figure appears in a relaxed pose nearby. These changes in scale create a modest sense of distance, although the overall design remains emphatically flat—a quality that allows the eye to move quickly between words, figures, landscape and aircraft.

Context and significance

Mid-century travel posters often relied on precisely this economy. A destination had to be understood at a glance, whether encountered in a travel agency, airline office or other public setting. Broad colour fields, simplified contours and strongly ordered typography made the message instantly readable, while selective details gave each place a distinct visual identity. In this case, Hawaii is presented not through a particular landmark but through an idealised vocabulary of mountains, palms, waves and easy outdoor leisure.

The poster is therefore as revealing about 1950s aspirations as it is about Hawaii. Its vivid palette and streamlined design reflect the confidence of an era in which aviation was reshaping perceptions of distance across the Pacific. The result remains compelling for the discipline of its graphic construction: every element is pared back, yet together they produce an unusually lively vision of travel, poised between geographical promotion and mid-century fantasy.

Choosing the right size and finish

Artwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.

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The model in the listing images is holding the 20x16in (50x40cm) version of this art print.

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This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.