Airbnb identifies itself as a home from home

With its user-oriented rebrand Airbnb has unveiled a complete new visual identity that is accessible to its worldwide client base.

The online accommodation listing and booking community yesterday launched its new brand across multiple channels following on from a launch event held in New York at the company’s first ever listed property.

Envisioned by Design Studio, a London-based firm, the new identity came out of the idea that wherever you stay with Airbnb in terms of location, you feel at home. This sense of belonging was identified as being at the heart of the Airbnb brand.

The new brand leans heavily on emotional triggers, aligning itself with people, places and love, themes that are incorporated into the new Bélo symbol. The new symbol is designed to be easy to draw, and an accompanying project titled Create Airbnb encourages users to create their own version of the new logo, thus engaging them with the branding journey.

Brian Chesky, co-founder and chief executive of Airbnb, says, “Create Airbnb is a recognition that our identity simply cannot be separated from all of you. This is a shared brand identity. It’s something no company has ever done before.”

The new identity has also been implemented across the company website and mobile platforms, with new photography and typeface replacing the bubble font and multi-layered visuals that previously identified the company. Joe Gebbia, one of Airbnb’s co-founders, explained at the launch how the company previously lacked consistent branding due to its rapid growth.

Airbnb is currently waging a fierce political battle to operate in the city of New York, its largest market. Current New York real estate law prohibits certain housing arrangements, particularly short-term rentals. Airbnb is communicating to the public through an ad campaign that uses language such as,  “New Yorkers should be able to rent out their homes”, thus aligning itself with the people. The rebrand, and the discussion surrounding it, has the potential to bring further support from the public, both in New York, and in any future disputes that may occur in other cities.