Yelp Logo PNG
The Yelp logo is as simple and concise as its name. It’s a true flash of inspiration that screams: “Eureka!” The jubilation is associated with the successful search for information, as the site features comprehensive reviews of various companies’ services.
Yelp: Brand overview
| Founded: | October 2004 |
| Founder: | Jeremy Stoppelman, Russel Simmons |
| Headquarters: | 350 Mission Street San Francisco, California, United States |
| Website: | yelp.com |
Meaning and History
Michael Ernst developed the current logo. The previous brand name was coined by Chad Hurley, one of the creators of YouTube. The old version contained a cartoonish image of a footnote in the form of a speech bubble. Michael Ernst was tasked with creating a different site style, as the existing one did not match the concept. He made many sketches and even drew a dog making sounds. But all this was wrong. Something fun, simple, and dynamic was needed to convey Yelp’s mood accurately.
Eventually, the designer remembered the star from the comic “Calvin and Hobbes.” Every time the character made a discovery or came up with something, a small flash appeared above his head. The artist remade the “star” several times because it turned into a flower. Therefore, he was forced to choose an abstract style and remove the angularity of the lines.
Moreover, Michael Ernst himself developed the font for the logo. He developed it and ensured that the inscription matched the drawing in shape and proportions. He placed the word “Yelp” to the left and the star to the right and placed both elements on a white background, outlined by a thin grayish line.
What is Yelp?
Yelp is an American company that owns a namesake mobile application and website describing various enterprises. Businessman Jeremy Stoppelman owns it. He, along with Russel Simmons, founded Yelp in 2004.
2004 – 2021
The designer had about a hundred original ideas that could become the emblem. However, he chose only one that matched the review and rating site concept. After all, people visit Yelp to find suitable services, which means each user discovers something about themselves. And this moment can be denoted by a flash – as big and bright as the service’s logo.
The abstract shape allowed for avoiding similarity with a flower. Therefore, the “star” consists of five triangles with sharp ends facing inward. They have rounded corners and outer sides and are spaced far enough apart. Although many see pieces of pizza in the drawing, it resembles a pop visualization, a flash.
The font was written by designer Michael Ernst, who was hired in 2004 after meeting one of the company’s co-founders. He wanted all letters, except “e,” to be written in uppercase. But “y,” “e,” “l,” and “p” turned out to be lowercase. Moreover, serifs were planned to be used on the poster. However, in the finished version, there are none – the inscription is made with the Mesmer font.
The brand palette’s primary color is a dark red shade (#af0606). The company name is black, the background is white, and the outlines are gray.
2021 – today
As a result of the redesign, the inscription disappeared in the form of a thin line, which formed free space around the word “Yelp” and highlighted it on a white background. In the modern interpretation of visual identity, neither the text nor the graphic element has a border. The structure of the icon on the right remained the same – a five-petal element with an emphasis on the top part, which is significantly larger than the rest. The trapezoidal shapes are elongated and taper towards the middle: the edge on the outside is wider than the inside. Moreover, the update touched on the writing style.
Yelp: Interesting Facts
Yelp is a website where people can write reviews about various places, like restaurants, salons, and mechanics. It was started in 2004 by two guys who used to work at PayPal.
- How It Started: Yelp was made by Jeremy Stoppelman and Russel Simmons in 2004. At first, they thought about making it a place for friends to recommend places to each other through email. However, it grew into a big website where anyone can write reviews about different businesses.
- Writing Reviews: Yelp makes it easy for regular people to say what they think about different places they visit. Before Yelp, most reviews came from professional critics.
- Good and Bad for Businesses: Reviews on Yelp can help a business if they’re good or hurt it if they’re bad. Some studies show that getting better by one star in Yelp’s rating can make a restaurant more money.
- How Yelp Picks Reviews to Show: Yelp uses a special computer program to decide which reviews are most helpful. They try to stop fake reviews, but sometimes, good reviews aren’t shown, making some business owners unhappy.
- Yelp Around the World: Yelp is available in many other countries, including the United States. This is great for people traveling or looking for a place to try in their city.
- Buying Other Companies: Yelp has bought other companies, such as Eat24, which lets people order food, and SeatMe, which lets people reserve restaurant tables. This allows Yelp to do more than just review.
- Special Yelp Members: Yelp has “Yelp Elite” members who write many reviews and are known for being helpful. They’re a big part of why Yelp has such a strong community.
- Useful for Research: Yelp’s reviews and information are useful for studying trends in what people like and don’t like and even for understanding the economy.
- Yelp on Your Phone: With people using their phones for everything, Yelp’s app lets you look up places nearby, make reservations, and check into places, making it super handy when you’re out and about.
Yelp has grown a lot since it first started and now plays a big role in people deciding where to go and what services to use. It helps people find good spots and lets businesses get noticed.
Font and Colors
The current logo uses a font with wider letters, resembling the Proxima Nova Soft Bold font from Mark Simonson Studio. They are almost identical, only differing in the weight of the letters (now they are much larger than before). Moreover, the logo received a new shade of red: the icon on the right became scarlet.
Yelp color codes
| Yelp Red | Hex color: | #AF0606 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 175, 6, 6 | |
| CMYK: | 0, 97, 97, 31 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 485 C |
| Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
| CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
| Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |
FAQ
What do the Yelp symbols mean?
The red element in the logo was initially conceived as a star, which appeared over the heads of the “Calvin and Hobbes” comic characters when they were struck by some unexpected idea. And although in the current version, this element looks more like an abstract flower than a star, its meaning remains the same: sudden enlightenment, a brilliant discovery, a successful thought.
What does the Yelp logo represent?
The Yelp logo can be compared to a flash because it looks like five “star” fragments resembling triangles with sharp angles pointing inward. These elements are painted red. On the right is a word mark – the black inscription “yelp,” executed in a bold, rounded sans-serif font.
