
The New Airbnb - hoverkraft
https://www.airbnb.com
======
adamesque
I'm not sure I've ever met an opinion on a logo, name, or anything creative
less than a month old that was worth a damn.

When faced with something new, the tendency is to focus on the superficial,
the easy joke, and it's too easy to let other opinions steer your own; they're
momentarily on equal footing, you see. But the work will last longer than this
moment. Your own opinion will evolve. The crowd will move on to the next easy
joke and hip-shot reaction.

That's why I like to avoid making more than cautious, small statements until
I've had a while to reflect. This work looks nice to me. There's potential for
great marketing in an individually customizable — but still distinctive (or
distinguishable) — logomark.

Most of this commentary feels like the person in the code review who hasn't
taken the time to digest the intent of the code, so they comment on
formatting. Whitespace. Trees. Not the forest.

~~~
_delirium
I clicked on this thread wondering: 1) why is this news?; and 2) why are there
so many comments? I'm not sure I learned the answer to either one...

~~~
personjerry
I believe this comment was formatted incorrectly. I think this is how it
should've been posted:

>> I'm not sure I've ever met an opinion on a logo, name, or anything creative
less than a month old that was worth a damn.

>> When faced with something new, the tendency is to focus on the superficial,
the easy joke, and it's too easy to let other opinions steer your own; they're
momentarily on equal footing, you see. But the work will last longer than this
moment. Your own opinion will evolve. The crowd will move on to the next easy
joke and hip-shot reaction.

>> That's why I like to avoid making more than cautious, small statements
until I've had a while to reflect. This work looks nice to me. There's
potential for great marketing in an individually customizable — but still
distinctive (or distinguishable) — logomark.

> Most of this commentary feels like the person in the code review who hasn't
> taken the time to digest the intent of the code, so they comment on
> formatting. Whitespace. Trees. Not the forest.

------
colmvp
Logo similarity:

[https://www.automationanywhere.com/](https://www.automationanywhere.com/)

They've had this re-design at least since March (based on their Facebook
page).

~~~
gamegoblin
That is nearly identical. Would anyone with legal experience like to chime in
about trademarks or something? I don't have much knowledge of it.

~~~
anigbrowl
Not a lawyer, but I do have a long-standing interest in trademark law and know
a good deal about it.

Courts look at the potential for confusion, which is often avoided if the two
companies are in completely different markets, eg Apple Computer complaining
about a store that specializes in apple pie and uses the word 'apple' in their
business name. Trademark owners essentially have to make a showing of
defending their mark or risk being accused of abandonment by someone else who
wants to appropriate it, so typically they write a huffy letter, the small
business with a vaguely-similar mark protests, and a court or national
trademark arbitrator says 'there there, your businesses are totally different
and it's OK to have slightly similar names because consumers will be able to
tell them apart.'

However it's quite unusual to see two logos that are virtually identical as in
this case, and arguably AirBNB is in the business of automating short term
lets so there's a possibility of confusion with this firm that offers
automation services. The automation firm might have a legitimate complaint for
having been using their logo first, but it also depends on which company filed
the mark with the USPTO first (which I haven't checked). I'd guess a likely
outcome is that AirBnB pays the automation firm some cash to avoid a dispute.

~~~
thousandx
Looks like Airbnb and Automation Anywhere are already working together on
this.

[http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/16/airbnbs-new-logo-looks-
a-l...](http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/16/airbnbs-new-logo-looks-a-lot-this-
other-companys-logo/)

~~~
rhizome
The piece starts with the companies on equal footing and ends with the logo
belonging to AirBNB. To me that implies AirBNB is buying them off.

~~~
anigbrowl
It's a win-win...and AirBNB will surely be able to negotiate the bill of its
design consultants steeply downward for their lack of due diligence.

------
knowtheory
Well, this should go down in the annals of logos which should have gotten some
wider impressions before launching.

Since nobody else on HN has mentioned it, all of twitter thinks the new logo
looks like a vagina. It's hard to unsee.

~~~
ollerac
What's wrong with a logo that looks like a vagina? Apple's logo looks like an
apple, which isn't really related to their business.

~~~
untog
If you were designing a logo, would you make one that looks like a penis?

~~~
CalRobert
Sure. What's wrong with vaginas? Why do we demonize parts of the body?

~~~
untog
Yeah, OK, why do we? I agree. It's silly. Does the rest of America agree? No.

Given that this is part of AirBnb transforming to a consumer brand you'd think
they'd pay more attention to what their target consumers think. They're a
business, after all.

~~~
visakanv
"Hey, let's rent a place. It costs reasonable, the people seem nice, it's
going to be fun."

"OMG, no, no we can't. The logo looks like a vagina."

~~~
untog
Why yes, you're right, that's exactly how brand perception works.

~~~
dragonwriter
Actually, brand perception usually works in the reverse order of the uphtread
description, where negative reaction to branding prevents consideration of the
other qualities of the product rather than be considered as a factor of
discussion _after_ consideration of those qualities.

------
ssmoot
I clicked on the link and saw the "Welcome Home" message with a lady sleeping
in the background.

A second or two later she moved and I realized I'm watching a short video of
some lady sleeping. Which felt very creepy.

I just thought that was noteworthy since that's not a feeling that comes up
all that often clicking on a link for a business's home page.

On the new logo:

I think it's surprisingly nice. The video introduction was good too. Except
for a couple things:

1\. The flashing font-color/background-color sequence bothered my eyes quite a
bit. It's almost offensively intrusive? It seems like one of those "persistent
vision" pictures/illusions. Except you don't expect it.

2\. The "four things"... took a nice (if a bit cheesy) message, and really
made it feel forced. It clued me into the intent that they want little Bélo
stickers plastered in the corners of windows... but I feel like that sort of
thing happens organically, or not. If you distribute free stickers to owners,
with that suggestion on the back of the peel-away, I bet it's as effective. If
you don't distribute them, then the video isn't going to make it happen
anyways.

Just my 2c.

~~~
zheshishei
> _I clicked on the link and saw the "Welcome Home" message with a lady
> sleeping in the background. A second or two later she moved and I realized
> I'm watching a short video of some lady sleeping. Which felt very creepy._

could not reproduce.

~~~
jordanthoms
It seems to cycle through different videos, I think this is the one they are
talking about:
[https://a0.muscache.com/airbnb/static/Paris-P1-0.webm](https://a0.muscache.com/airbnb/static/Paris-P1-0.webm)

------
untog
_For so long, people thought Airbnb was about renting houses. But really,
we’re about home. You see, a house is just a space, but a home is where you
belong._

I hope they didn't pay very much for this, it's nauseating.

~~~
rhizome
The house-home pivot is pretty pedestrian, but nothing I've seen about the
rebrand tells me it was anything but expensive.

~~~
wuliwong
Naming the logo is pretty pretentious. Though, it doesn't matter much, I have
a feeling Bélo isn't going to become a household word.

~~~
rhizome
It doesn't have to be, it's a mascot, which in my experience means it will be
an officehold word. Also, since it has a name, I'd say the smart money would
be to look for it to play a role in future marketing and advertising
collateral.

------
mikeleeorg
I haven't used AirBnB extensively and don't really remember the old UI, but my
immediate thought is this new UI will probably appeal to their target
audiences.

It looks like it's designed to convey an emotion - that giddy feeling when
you're traveling and seeing something new, coupled with having a homey
experience from a local. It's got great big photos, that big hero video, and
is emphasizing both people and landscapes pretty well.

Overall, I get the sense that the brand is growing up and expanding from a
sub-culture to a larger market of travelers now. And they've managed to look
better than an Expedia or Travelocity.

With that said - darn it, now I can't get the "private parts" comparison out
of my head now.

(Conspiracy theorist note: Unless, that's what they wanted to put into your
head... Ooo...)

------
bsmith
The site looks great.

However, is it just me, or do the videos in the mantle not really add much? I
find the movement in some of them distract from the space itself, while others
just seem a little staged or even a bit creepy. I think I would have much
preferred photos.

~~~
thathonkey
As a counter-point, the videos were my favorite part but I agree some of them
look a little too staged. Possibly blurring them a bit or adding a slightly
translucent overlay as another poster suggested could make them less
distracting and increase the prominence of the white text overlay.

Just don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

------
stevenkovar
Not a critique of the design overall, but if someone responsible for the home
page design is reading this: it might be worth applying a slight translucent
layer over the background images/videos to help make the white text more
readable (something like (0,0,0,0.4)!

~~~
mfisher87
I think because the background is such a long, varied animation, it works as-
is. None of the letters are unreadable for more than a moment, and only
occasionally do small portions become unreadable. The exception, I think, is
the Signup|Login|Help navigation section in the top-right. Sometimes whole
links become unreadable for like 5 seconds!

------
brandonmenc
Is the new symbol an attempt at some contrived post-millenial hobo code?

"Look, honey! The Bélo! We've found a safe-house!"

~~~
gdubs
I actually was thinking this, because of a Mad Men episode[1] and came here to
mention it.

Overall I like the logo, but the idea of something akin to the Hobo Code in
particular is pretty brilliant IMHO. It's a very Don Draper idea :)

1:
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1097128/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1097128/)

------
hansy
I love the new site. I was never a fan of the old one because I felt
overwhelmed with all the information on the screen. This feels cleaner, more
minimalist.

One gripe I have with the new site is the fixed booking form on the right side
of the screen as you scroll through a listing. I find it really distracting
(perhaps that's the point?). Because of the fixed form on the right, there's
also a lot of wasted space in the column. I dunno, maybe I'll get used to this
over time.

------
gkop
Frankly I did not see this coming [0], I always figured Airbnb would aim to be
a universal marketplace, rather than carving out a niche in "authentic",
"unique", "truly amazing experiences".

Anyhow, I read "belonging" as a coded word for "community", and wonder how
Airbnb thinks they are going to culture their own community...

Maybe they will make a strategic acquisition? Lonely Planet, for example.

Or maybe they will bleed some of their profits into a virtual currency / karma
that folks can earn, trade, and apply toward accommodations? Airbnb could
tweak the karma economy to maximize profits while still infusing enough karma
to bootstrap their community.

[0] [http://blog.airbnb.com/belong-anywhere](http://blog.airbnb.com/belong-
anywhere)

~~~
mbreese
Well, unique and amazing experiences will probably cause them fewer legal
issues for Airbnb over the long-term. As opposed to being a universal
marketplace where people aren't necessarily abiding by their own leases.

~~~
gkop
A $10 billion dollar company ought to be able to work that stuff out.

~~~
mbreese
They are _valued_ at $10 billion. They don't _have_ $10 billion. If NYC or SF
decided to crackdown harder on Airbnb hosts, then that valuation would drop.

However, if they can move into the slightly more predictable (and defensible)
position of providing unique getaways, then they would be in a better position
for when that inevitable crackdown does occur.

~~~
gkop
Another thing that might affect their valuation is whether or not investors
believe Airbnb may grow to serve a universal market or just a niche market.

------
kewball
I don't really care about the new logo. But I do wish that the "new airbnb"
allowed me to sort the listings by price. This is standard practice on any
other site I can think of. Sure I can set a price range but this still forces
me to have to think. I like the fact that when I sort results I know that as I
continue scrolling the price is going to increase. That way when I find a
place I am happy with I know that there is not going to be a place further on
which is better value. Please let me know if I am just being stupid and have
not figured out how to sort the results.

------
hellojeanpierre
The change is neat, giving more room to expand towards their bigger vision.
But,

what I don't understand is why the hell they moved the most important element
in their site down to a secondary place ("the search").

~~~
rhizome
To increase on-page metrics as a driver of "engagement?"

------
DigitalSea
I think this is a step in the right direction for Airbnb. It has more warmth
and personality, feels more accessible and less like a website created in 2005
(the existing button styles always irked me). A minor nitpick I have with the
design is that video background header, on my desktop Mac with a screen
resolution of 2560 x 1440 viewing in Chrome at maximum width and height the
scaling bugs up and the heads of everyone are being cut off. As I drag the
sides of my browser in, the heads come into view and looks much better. It
looks a little strange with the cut off heads, perhaps centring the video
would be the most ideal fix. The video content seems a little strange as well
(especially the one of the woman sleeping).

I am loving that explore view and the subsequent single listing pages with the
sticky quick book form. Definitely leaps and bounds better over the existing
site. I don't know how I feel about that logo though. I love the story behind
its creation, I love the versatility of it as a brand mark, but it kind of
looks like a vagina/rocket ship. Hate to be crude, but once you see it, there
is no unseeing it. Based on Tweets I've seen about it, I am not alone in
thinking that.

Another thing that surprised me is the fact the site is only responsive to an
extent. If you shrink your browser down small to that of an iPad mini, it kind
of breaks. Surprised the site doesn't work at all resolutions considering the
great teams they'd have to make it happen.

------
trustfundbaby
Not bad, but I have to say the old design/logo/identity just seemed like more
... fun.

~~~
aganders3
I agree, but I could see (for example) my parents trusting the new design
more. It seems more like a legitimate short term rental service rather than a
couchsurfing site.

~~~
neilk
And yet it retains the informality you want from an AirBnB. It's almost
perfect.

IMO the design process seems way over the top, but it seems to have produced
results.

------
alphonse23
I can't say I really believe in Airbnb as a company and idea, but that is a
damn well designed website -- I guess you could say the best money could buy..

~~~
nicarus1984
What is so well-designed about the site? I'm no designer and I am not being
cynical - I'm genuinely curious because, to me, the site is very similar to
many others I have seen today. It's possible I don't have an eye for the
details here, but I really don't see a huge difference.

Ex. [http://electricpulp.com/](http://electricpulp.com/)
[http://spigotdesign.com/](http://spigotdesign.com/) ...

~~~
alphonse23
Well. The moving picture at the top, the Masonry image layout. It all really
fits well together to convey what airbnb does -- and it really makes you want
to connect with them. Airbnb is no doubt a very well funded company.

The second one you mention is also very well designed I'd say, but as you can
see, it's a professional web design firm -- so it should look very well -- and
as you can see it uses very similar techniques as airbnb.

------
51Cards
How much bandwidth does one need to be able pipe down a 22.9 Meg WebM video
file with every home page impression? Oi. Looks beautiful though.

------
tripngroove
Trivia: the new logo is called the "Bélo"; the old one was constructed from
the typeface "Bello" by Underware.

[http://www.underware.nl/fonts/bello/preface](http://www.underware.nl/fonts/bello/preface)

~~~
keehun
The coincidence is startling. Old typeface Bello by Underwear. New logo is
being called a vagina and is named Bélo.

------
dasc
Not bad, but its WAY too over designed. The actual functional part on the
front page is like a black bar that is 10% of the page. The start your
adventure part is nice, but serves little functionality to me. Yes its cool to
see all these awesome places, but I don't think I'll be going to Berlin
anytime soon. The search page looks good still, just not a fan of the front
page.

Compared to Kayak which makes it super obvious where to start, and the "Start
Your Adventure" equivalent is top cities people travel to. That section should
be a supplement not a main feature.

------
lukethomas
It seems clear to me that this is a step towards a bigger vision (example:
[http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/05/us-airbnb-
dinner-i...](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/05/us-airbnb-dinner-
idUSKBN0EG29320140605))

I just saw the event they had, and while extremely awkward and painful to
watch, they continually eluded to a broader concept bigger than "renting
rooms."

------
george88b
I am not really a fan of the pastel colors and the new logo. I know they were
trying to make photos and such more prominent but I find it harder to
navigate.

~~~
pimlottc
The new logo just looks like a paperclip to me.

------
ElComradio
Think of how many meaningful connections you could make if you charged below
market rate for lodging in high demand areas. Until now I thought airbnb was
about making money for themselves and their hosts, but now I see it's about
connecting the world through meaningful experiences and the money is almost
not even a factor! Amazing!

------
ereckers
The front page looks like a designer/agency portfolio site and not like the
tool/application that it really is. It looks like the actual result pages
haven't changed much, so that's a good thing.

I'm in the middle of redesigning my own website this week and I've seen plenty
of this stuff. Too much really.

------
azharkhan
I think this was a well thought out rebranding, especially seeing as they are
becoming a larger global brand, and their identity needed to reflect that as
well.

The site is beautiful, the new logo is simple yet unique and fits their brand
well, and I personally cannot wait to use their services next year for my trip
through Europe.

------
soneca
first impression of logo: it nauseates me. It makes me uneasy. I don't know
why, it looks like too random to me, to doodled. And their initiative to
people draw it by themselves make this even worse.

I ain't no designer, or any kind of expert, but I keep looking at it and it
confounds my eyes. Terribly.

------
Nomlab
The new logo looks like a spaceship ... they are preparing for selling trips
into orbit.

~~~
minimaxir
If you've been following the commentary about the logo on Twitter, that is the
_exact opposite_ of what people immediately interpret as the symbol.

~~~
lttlrck
the exact opposite?

~~~
visakanv
Apparently vaginas and rockets are opposites. Maybe because rockets = penises.
Who knows.

------
cnaut
The ethos of the redesign is more important than the redesign itself. The new
logo is more than airbnb's take on the hobo code. It is an attempt to move
beyond being a commodity and into a brand people can aspire to.

------
namidark
Airbnb: Watching you sleep!

------
plusbryan
I absolutely love the new branding & fluid logo. This is one of those gigantic
branding leaps that makes everything that came before look instantly outdated.
Nice work.

------
psherman
I'm not sure why so many people seem so intent on sexualizing a logo. I think
that it's pretty clever to incorporate the location marker into the A.

------
wuliwong
I like a lot of the design but some of those videos are super creepy. Just
felt like "AirBNB, we watch you while you sleep." :)

------
eduardosasso
Are they into space technology? No joke, that was the very first thing that
came to my mind when I saw the new logo.

------
brooklynjam
Bootstrap, I guess it just over for now. What's the next look and feel? Things
I ponder, late nights. :-)

------
mikeash
So it's... a new logo? Sure seems like an awful lot of fuss over a very little
change.

~~~
wnissen
Yeah, I thought they were going to do something meaningful, like waiting at
least a minute to forget the dates I've already entered at least a dozen
times.

------
FeatureRush
On airbnb.pl were the prices always displayed as zł1090 etc? The proper way is
1090zł.

~~~
mrdmnd
Thanks for the bug report! I'll relay it to the proper engineer.

------
kevinwang
The white text in the main headers sometimes blends in with the video
background.

------
gtirloni
Star Trek? A stylized male genitalia?

------
danecjensen
This feels faster. Is it?

------
antr
What was wrong with the old design? IMHO, the current site doesn't look as
good.

