Trivago Logo PNG
The Trivago logo proves that travel can be fun and exciting. Proper preparation for the trip, for which the tourist metasearch engine was created, is only necessary. The emblem symbolizes the lightness and festive atmosphere accompanying service users, who are not burdened with organizational issues.
Trivago: Brand overview
The online platform Trivago is available in almost 200 countries and has been translated into more than 30 languages. It collects data about hotel rooms from various sources, including regional tourist agencies, and allows for a comparison of current prices.
Trivago’s journey began in 2005 in Düsseldorf, Germany when entrepreneurs Ralf Schiller, Malte Sievers, and Peter Vinnemeier founded the company. They aimed to create a platform allowing travelers to compare hotel prices from various sources instantly.
In its early years, the company focused on the German market. The founders built the website and partnered with hotels and online travel agencies. They started with a small database of hotels, gradually expanding it over time.
A major milestone came in 2007 when the Samwer brothers, well-known German internet entrepreneurs, made the first investment in the company. This funding allowed the platform to accelerate its growth and expand into other European markets.
In 2008–2009, the service made a strong push into the European market, launching localized versions of its website in multiple countries. The company also refined its price comparison algorithms to provide users with more accurate and relevant search results.
Global expansion began in 2010, starting with the launch of services in the US, a key market. Around this time, the company also made significant marketing investments, which helped boost brand recognition.
In 2011–2012, the platform continued its international expansion, entering markets in Asia and Latin America. Recognizing the growing importance of mobile devices for travel planning, the company began developing mobile apps.
A major turning point came in 2013 when Expedia acquired a majority stake in the company for $632 million. This acquisition allowed the service to maintain operational independence while benefiting from the resources and expertise of one of the largest players in the online travel industry.
From 2014 to 2015, the business focused on improving the user experience and enhancing platform functionality. This included better price comparison algorithms, new search filters, and additional hotel information such as ratings and user reviews.
In 2016, the company went public. The initial public offering (IPO) occurred on the NASDAQ stock exchange on December 16, attracting more investment and increasing visibility.
In 2017–2018, the platform faced challenges due to changes in search engine algorithms and increased competition. The company responded by adjusting its strategy, focusing on improving the efficiency of marketing spend and enhancing its technological infrastructure.
In 2019, the service made significant technological advancements, integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve recommendations and personalize search results. The company also launched a new feature aimed at business travelers.
Despite the difficulties faced by the travel industry in 2020–2021, the business continued to expand its platform. The focus was on developing new features and solutions to meet travelers’ changing needs, including a tool for searching for alternative accommodations like villas and apartments.
In 2022, the platform focused on building partnerships. The company entered into several key collaborations with major players in the travel industry, enhancing its offerings and improving the user experience.
As of 2023, the service remains one of the leading hotel meta-search engines globally, serving millions monthly users. The company continues improving its algorithms, expanding its partnerships, and developing new technologies to meet its users’ needs better.
Throughout its history, the platform has faced challenges such as intense competition, changes in customer behavior, and technological advancements. However, through continuous innovation and the ability to adapt to changing market conditions, the company has maintained its position as a key player in the online travel industry.
Meaning and History
As one of the fastest-growing German companies, Trivago attracts millions of monthly customers. In doing so, it earns money from hotels willing to pay to advertise on the site. Nevertheless, even after becoming popular, the online platform does not give a clear answer to the question of what its name means. There are rumors that it was allegedly formed from the phrase “TRIp VAcation GO,” but this version has no confirmation.
Many users are inclined to believe that the neologism “Trivago” consists of several words in different languages. “Tri” translates from French as “sorting,” “va” means “to go,” and the English “go” expresses forward motion. This amalgamation alludes to the main function of the metasearch system. Despite its unusual sound, neologism has been the basis for all past and present brand logos.
What is Trivago?
Trivago is a metasearch engine for travel that allows you to compare prices for hotel rooms on different booking platforms. Trivago is owned by the Düsseldorf-based company and operated by the Expedia Group, Inc. of America.
2005 – 2007
The online platform Trivago was launched in 2005, becoming Germany’s first hotel price comparison site. At the time, it used a colorful wordmark visually divided into three color blocks, a concept that has not changed. In the first version, the letter “t” was lowercase and jagged as if drawn by hand. The designers made it bright orange, with a white line around the edge, and placed it inside a dark blue circle, thus separating it from the rest of the text.
The middle of the word – “riva” – was dark gray. The developers chose a sans serif font similar to Adobe’s Myriad Pro Regular, Myriad Arabic Regular, or Myriad Hebrew Regular. The last piece with the letters “g” and “o” resembled Adobe’s Myriad Arabic Bold. It was as orange as the first “t.”
2007 – 2013
Trivago decided in 2008 to experiment with television advertising to strengthen its brand. And the year before, it revamped its identity by changing the palette and font of the logo. The designers regrouped the color blocks, making the “t” no longer a separate element. The first fragment (“tri”) was sky blue, the second (“va”) was orange, and the third (“go”) was dark red, almost burgundy. At the same time, each letter had thin white outlines and cast a light gray shadow that was depicted shifted to the right.
The lettering seemed airy because the “r,” “a,” “g,” and “o” rose slightly above the line and seemed to hang in space. This asymmetrical arrangement created a sense of lightness, flight, optimism, and dynamism. At the same time, the letters crept on each other, especially near the end of the word. Judging by their shape, the authors of the logo used a modified version of a font from the Avenir family, making the dot over the “i” not round but square.
2013 – 2015
In 2013, Expedia Group, Inc. bought a majority stake in Trivago. Meanwhile, the online travel platform updated its wordmark, retaining its constituent elements and the traditional division into three color blocks. But now the blue is darker, the orange is brighter, and the red is lighter and paler than before. In addition, the designers abandoned three-dimensionality: they removed white outlines and gray shadows so that in the current version, the letters are flat.
The word is horizontally aligned and no longer feels airy. The font is still similar to the modified Avenir, although the developers have transformed the shape of the glyphs. The most important change (compared to the previous version) is that the square dot over the “i” has turned into a round one.
2015 – 2023
The logo represents a simplified and less vibrant version of the previous design. This change reflects the company’s desire for a more restrained yet professional image. While previous logo versions featured bolder colors, the current palette has become more muted.
The colors remain the same—blue, orange, and red—but they have lost their brightness and adopted softer tones. Blue symbolizes stability and reliability, orange conveys warmth and friendliness toward customers, and red adds a sense of dynamism and energy. Combining these colors represents the company’s multifaceted and comprehensive services while maintaining an easy and approachable appearance.
The updated logo was designed to strengthen the brand, making it more accessible and friendly to a wide audience while conveying professionalism and reliability.
2023 – today
The new version of the Trivago logo showcases significant design and color palette updates. One of the major changes is the use of bright colors — red, orange, and blue. At first glance, the color scheme may appear similar to the previous version, but it has now been reversed. This change helps the brand remain modern and easily recognizable, especially in the competitive online hotel booking market.
Each color in the emblem holds its significance. Red, used for the letter “t,” symbolizes the company’s dynamism and energy. The orange in the center represents warmth, comfort, and friendliness, reflecting the brand’s aim to create a user-friendly platform. The final element, blue, for the letter “o,” adds a sense of reliability and confidence, highlighting the company’s professionalism and serious approach to its services.
The logo’s font has also been redesigned, becoming more modern and streamlined. The letters are slightly rounded with a more consistent line thickness throughout, creating a feeling of lightness and accessibility while maintaining a sense of professionalism. A key detail of the new font is the stylized “t,” which has a unique shape that adds distinctiveness to the visual identity. This approach to typography helps the brand stand out and makes it memorable.
The new logo reflects the brand’s closeness to the user: a light, bright, and simple design that catches the eye and conveys the brand’s core values.
Corporate logo
In 2018, Trivago received another logo, which the company’s designers created. It does not replace the iconic tricolor sign but is used separately, exclusively for corporate purposes. The brand name is written in dark gray and shifted to the right side. On the left is a new graphic element in the form of an open ring. According to the brand conception, it is “Wabi”—the symbol of the circumnavigation of the globe, constant development, and movement.
The ring is an open oval and traditionally contains three colorful fragments: orange, blue, and red. They are arranged so that the image seems three-dimensional. The colors flow from one to the other without gradients or shadows.
The iconic wordmark of the online platform Trivago contains its name, which is unique and recognizable. It is associated with only one site, so the designers made it the star of the main logo and painted it in three optimistic colors. Nevertheless, the company has its own “Wabi” symbol in the form of a ring. It shows the authenticity of the metasearch system, its flexibility, and its ability to focus on details. And it is the visual embodiment of a round-the-world trip.
Font and Colors
The name of the brand is written in a simple font without serifs. Designers created it on the Avenir family’s base, which is considered the recognized classic in typography. They reworked the glyph structure, so the resulting typeface is roughly similar to Bw Modelica Extra Bold by Branding With Type, Stem Text Bold by ParaType, and Usual Bold by Rui Abreu. All the letters are in lowercase. Notably, the curved parts of the “t,” “r,” “a,” and “g” are the same shape.
The Trivago wordmark’s color palette is well-developed: it features slightly darkened shades of blue, orange, and red—a recognizable combination associated with the online travel platform. The corporate logo’s palette additionally contains dark gray.
