Twenty years after its inception, Tripadvisor understood that the nature of travel had evolved. So, in 2020, the company wanted the platform’s branding to follow suit, and reflect a modern, more human approach to the world of digital travel guidance.

Appreciating the current love for—and global recognition of—the iconic Tripadvisor logo, Mother Design wanted to retain its inherent personality but refine its geometry for better reproduction at all sizes. It was an exercise both in reduction of complexity and amplification of character, resulting in a much simpler and more personable owl. The circular nature of the owl’s features pervades all aspects of the identity, from the custom typeface and iconography, to illustrations and the Tripadvisor review system.

Mother Design recognized the editorial nature of the platform, and, therefore, the importance of an ownable typeface that would serve to unify its elements. We partnered with Colophon Foundry to create a complementary custom typeface which could not only carry the weight of a global brand, but imbue some humanity in its expression.

The new custom typeface also inspired a new iteration of the brand’s iconography style—one that could be both functional (to cue the various search categories on the platform) and supportive (to act as wayfinding for users to easily navigate the site).
We added warmth to the digitally native brand with a color palette that complemented the primary Tripadvisor Green and gave depth to all communications to follow.

Finally, to round out the visual identity system, we partnered with Giacomo Bagnara to develop custom illustrations, adding dimension, humility, and warmth to the brand’s overall toolkit.