Airbnb Logo

Airbnb LogoAirbnb Logo PNG

Effective promotion of a product related to housing placement and search worldwide is an important task for an American website founded in 2008. The current Airbnb logo represents the “Belong Together” symbol, consisting of four themes: people, places, love, and the company itself.

Airbnb: Brand overview

Founded:August 2008
Founder:Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk
Headquarters:
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Website:airbnb.com
Airbnb is an online service for finding and renting short-term housing. The region of coverage is the entire world. Therefore, it helps travelers settle comfortably even in an unfamiliar village. The service was founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk. The project was launched in 2008. The headquarters of the virtual platform is located in San Francisco (USA).

Meaning and History

Airbnb Logo History

The logo of the private company is built around the phrase AirBed & Breakfast and is its abbreviation. In its short existence, the housing selection service has had only two emblems: the debut and the current one.

What is Airbnb?

Airbnb is an American corporation that provides housing for tourists in private homes. This unique type of accommodation led to a revolution in the tourism industry, as previously travelers only stayed in hotels or hostels. The company operates through its eponymous website, where users can book accommodation. The company was founded in 2008 by Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky.

2007 – 2008

AirBed & Breakfast Logo 2007

Once known as AirBed and Breakfast, this reflected the business concept of three friends from San Francisco who, in 2007, decided to rent out an inflatable mattress in the living room and coincidentally feed travelers breakfast. Thus, the name represented the full range of services. The short but meaningful phrase became the basis for a three-level logo. The first line was occupied by the blue word “AirBed&,” the second by the purple “Breakfast,” and the third by the blue phrase “idsa connecting ’07”. All were aligned to the left edge. The upper lines used a bold bubble font in the style of Comic Sans, while the lower ones used a thin, low-contrast sans serif font.

2008 – 2009

AirBed & Breakfast Logo 2008

In 2008, the design of the wordmark changed. The designers placed the company name on one line and placed the long inscription on a white base with a light gray shadow, which spread as a gradient around the entire outline. This shadow replicated the outlines of the letters, making the logo resemble a sticker. Thanks to the brighter and more saturated colors, the phrase “AirBed & Breakfast” stood out against such a background. Below was the slogan “Forget about hotels” with a period at the end. It was right-aligned and consisted of dark gray sans-serif letters. The font roughly resembled Proxima Nova Condensed Medium by Mark Simonson Studio.

2009 – 2010

AirBed & Breakfast Logo 2009

In 2009, the founders of AirBed and Breakfast underwent training at the Y Combinator venture fund and, as part of the collaboration, received funding for the company’s development. Some of the money went into rebranding, as the platform expanded its range of services that same year, changed its name to Airbnb, and updated its logo. Thus, a wordmark appeared with a shortened inscription, where only the letters “Air” remained from the first (blue) half and “BnB” from the second (hot pink). They were still outlined by a common white contour, but the designers reduced the blur of the gray shadow on the edge.

2010 – 2013

Airbnb Logo 2010

The creators of the new logo decided to unify its font and color, so the inscription became blue and was transformed into lowercase. The company name used a custom set of glyphs, mimicking handwritten text. The letters were characterized by thickening and smooth, rounded lines. Notably, the letter “r” was not connected to the following “b” but was separated from it by a thin white contour. The style of the Airbnb logo remained unchanged: it still resembled a sticker due to the blurred gray shadows that appeared at a distance from the word. At the same time, it acquired a linear gradient: the bright blue color at the top took on a pale shade.

2013 – 2014

Airbnb Logo 2013

The original version of the logo consisted of “inflated” letters as if filled with air. This was done intentionally, as such a design is associated with the soft, inflatable mattress mentioned in the name. The lowercase letters were outlined in blue and visually resembled handwritten inscriptions. The lines were wide and sweeping.

2014 – today

Airbnb Logo

In 2014, the project updated its logo: modernized it, made it original, and filled it with meaningful symbols. In this version, two parts are equally used: graphical and textual. On the left is the icon, and on the right is the name. The style of the elements is simple, the background white.

Airbnb: Interesting Facts

Airbnb is a website that changed how people travel and find places to stay. It started with a simple idea but has grown into something big that reaches worldwide. Here’s a quick look at Airbnb’s story:

  1. Starting Small: In 2008, three friends in San Francisco, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, made money by letting people sleep on air mattresses in their apartments. They called it “AirBed & Breakfast.”
  2. First Big Moment: Their first bunch of guests came in 2007 during a big design conference when all the hotels in San Francisco were full.
  3. Growing Fast: Airbnb quickly grew, and now, you can find places to stay in over 100,000 cities across more than 220 countries.
  4. So Many Choices: On Airbnb, you can find many places to stay, like treehouses, castles, or even islands, not just regular rooms or apartments.
  5. Helping Economies: Airbnb helps local economies because it lets people make money from their homes and spreads out where tourists spend their money, not just in hotel areas.
  6. More than Stays: In 2016, Airbnb started offering “Experiences,” where locals can show travelers around, teach them things, or take them on adventures.
  7. Busy Times: Big events like the Olympics or World Cup attract many people who book places to stay through Airbnb, showing that it can handle many travelers.
  8. Dealing with Challenges: When COVID-19 hit, Airbnb faced tough times with fewer people traveling. They devised new cleaning rules and focused on staying longer or being close to home.
  9. Becoming a Public Company: In December 2020, Airbnb started selling shares to the public, and it was a big deal, showing that people believe in the company.
  10. Helping Out: Airbnb has offered free accommodation for emergency workers during the pandemic and helped refugees find housing.

Airbnb’s story is about starting with a small idea and growing it into a way for people to travel differently, helping communities, and opening up new experiences worldwide.

Font and Colors

Airbnb Emblem

The updated design was developed by DesignStudio from London (UK). This version represents a stylized letter “A,” consisting of four elements, each with a special meaning. Specifically, these are people, places, love, and Airbnb itself, uniting them. Together, they form a unique and simple figure, commonly called Belong Together.

Airbnb Symbol

The original Airbnb font is airy and italic, while the modern one is strict and classic. The letters on the emblem are streamlined, minimalist, sans-serif. The color palette remained the same to avoid cluttering the visual perception of the service. The debut version is based on a combination of white and light blue, the current one – with rich red.

Airbnb color codes

Pastel RedHex color:#ff5a5f
RGB:255 90 95
CMYK:0 65 63 0
Pantone:PMS 805 C