Xing Logo PNG
The Xing logo depicts business partners meeting in an informal setting to communicate and build a closer acquaintance. Here, everyone can show themselves and see the community’s reaction to their style and image. The emblem represents business people connecting for easy communication.
XING began in August 2003 in Hamburg, when Lars Hinrichs launched Open Business Club GmbH. The platform openBC went live on November 1, 2003, aiming to replicate offline networking online. From the start, the model combined free access with paid features such as advanced search and messaging. By early 2005, the network had reached over 500,000 users, making it Europe’s largest professional platform. That year, Wellington Partners invested €5.7 million.
Competition with LinkedIn shaped its strategy. In November 2006, openBC was rebranded as XING to support international growth. By mid-2006, the user base exceeded 1.5 million. On December 7, 2006, XING went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, raising €35.7 million with a valuation of around €157–168 million. It became one of the first Web 2.0 companies to IPO.
Expansion followed. In 2007, it launched a pay-per-click job section and acquired EConozco and Neurona. In 2008, Cember.net was added. Growth outside German-speaking markets remained limited. In 2009, Hinrichs stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Stefan Gross-Selbeck. Hubert Burda Media acquired a 25.1% stake in 2012 and later a controlling stake. The company shifted focus to the DACH region.
In 2013, XING acquired Kununu and integrated employer reviews into its platform. Further deals included InterNations and Prescreen in 2017, and Honeypot in 2019. In 2019, Xing SE was renamed New Work SE, uniting its services under a single brand. By April 2019, the platform had 16 million users, while LinkedIn, acquired by Microsoft in 2016, had exceeded 600 million users.
Meaning and History
Ting was launched officially in 2007, but the social network has existed since 2003. In its early years, it was known as OpenBC. The full version without an abbreviation (Open Business Club) revealed the essence of the platform. It was later renamed Xing, making the name more abstract.
German entrepreneur Lars Hinrichs created an international online network for managing professional contacts. The Hamburg-based company New Work SE now runs the portal, and since 2012, Hubert Burda Media has held a controlling stake. So Xing is one of the global media company’s brands, along with Digital Life Design, HolidayCheck Group, InStyle, and Cyberport.
What is Xing?
Xing is a German social network created in 2003 for business people. It helps users build professional connections, discuss business topics, view current job vacancies, post resumes, and engage in recruiting. It is an excellent place to exchange experiences and knowledge and advance your career. New Work SE owns the online service.
Despite numerous structural changes, the site still operates in the same format. Users get free basic services, with special features available to premium subscribers. For example, users can purchase the ability to send messages with attachments, view statistical reports, and run advanced searches.
Xing’s logo has changed at least once because the network was previously called the Open Business Club. The first version featured gray “openBC” lettering, with thin, straight lowercase letters and bold, italic uppercase letters. After the renaming, the platform adopted a new wordmark: “XING.” The name is now blue-green and written in uppercase.
In addition to the full XING logo, the portal features a short emblem with a stylized X. The icon consists of two curved lines that meet at their corners. The left stripe is shorter than the right one. They also differ in color: one side is blue-green, and the other is neon yellow. Geometric shapes are not connected, so they cannot be called full-fledged letters. Rather, it is a vivid abstraction, vaguely reminiscent of “X.” The official manual states that the icon must necessarily have square proportions. It is usually placed in a white square with rounded corners.
Font and Colors
The logo’s creators designed the inscription and did not use standard fonts. Perhaps they took a variety of grotesque forms as their primary principle, giving it a new form. The corners of the letters are rounded, the lines are symmetrical, and the strokes’ width is consistent.
The inscription is blue-green (#026466) on a white background. The icon is more colorful: in addition to blue-green, it includes neon yellow (#CFDC00). Both shades represent the Xing brand within the business line’s social media segment.