A few days ago, Airbnb unveiled a massive redesign. Its website, its app and its logo. The new design is meant to expand the brand’s presence offline and unlock opportunities for growth. As with any rebranding, it was expected to make a splash. And, so it did. A splash that was probably bigger than predicted as it unlocked unexpected public imagination.
Airbnb’s new logo, called by the company the “Belo,” has been designed to combine elements of a heart, a location pin, and the letter “A.” In a company blog post, co-founder and CEO Brain Cheski explained the vision, ideas and feelings it is meant to imply. He hopes it will become a universal symbol of sharing, one that evokes a sense of belonging.
“A house is just a space, but a home is where you belong. And what makes this global community so special is that for the very first time, you can belong anywhere.”
Feelings aside, the concept of “belonging” does hold true. For the first time, Airbnb and similar companies allow a traveler to find a unique place to stay, a place that fits one’s own lifestyle. Since P2P accommodation platforms crowdsource their inventory instead of own it, they can offer a much larger product variety with something for almost everyone. Such limitless customization is not possible with the traditional centralized business model.
Airbnb’s branding strategy reflects this new liberation of the travel experience quite cleverly. Using an innovative approach, the company encourages its hosts and users to customize the new logo. It introduced a tool called Create, which enables them to come up with their own version of the symbol that fits their identity.
Such flexibility is a departure from traditional branding where companies adhere meticulously to the exact design of their graphics. It is a smart feature that could unlock opportunities for a much broader offline presence.
And this is exactly what Airbnb is aiming at. Cheski has shared his vision for the future of the Belo in a conversation with Fast Company. He can see the symbol being used as a key-chain, posted on homes’ windows, printed on memorabilia, decorating restaurants and other places that welcome Airbnb customers or simply embrace the idea of sharing.
The new logo will also propel the company’s plan to expand beyond the realm of accommodation. Airbnb is already experimenting with adding cleaning services, and there are rumors that it is looking into ridesharing. That concept would be quite logical especially for rides to and from the airport. It could also reach into home dining, touring and other destination experiences. Their redesigned website is geared towards possible expansion into other services. And as the company permeates the vast world of travel, the Belo is meant to accompany it on the journey.
This plan, however, ran into a slightly bumpy start. After yearlong hard work with a UK design firm, Airbnb revealed the new logo only to unlock unexpected public imagination. Imagination that sidetracked the ideas of travel, sharing and belonging, at least for a while. Instead, within hours, social media humor was associating the Belo with almost any private body part one could imagine. On top of that, it turned out that the Belo resembled the logo of another company, Automation Anywhere, way too closely.
So, would Airbnb’s redesign need an immediate reconstructive surgery?
Absolutely not. According to a statement sent to Venture Beat by both Airbnb and Automation Anywhere, the companies are working cooperatively to resolve the legal issue. Automation Anywhere will transition to a new logo design. While doing so, it will probably enjoy some extra publicity from the mishap.
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As for Airbnb, the initial misinterpretation of the Belo is probably just as welcome. The social media humor has given the brand yet another popularity booster shot. They are handling it quite maturely. According to Recode, co-founder and CTO Nathan Blecharczyk made the following comment during a private dinner with the Airbnb community:
“It’s just like: Go ahead, laugh all you want, guys.” According to him, the Belo holds a deep meaning that will soon be regained.
Blecharczyk is right. As merciless the Internet could be, it is also quite forgetful. There is no such thing as bad publicity. Particularly true in this case.
It is unlikely that anybody who is using Airbnb will stop doing that just because its new logo could seem a little funny with some extra imagination. But it is very likely that many new visitors will hit the redesigned website, even if it is only for a quick peak or a giggle.
And while on it, many might find themselves in a place they belong to.