Tripadvisor Logo
Tripadvisor is a global platform dedicated to travel-related advice, reviews, and services. It aids travelers in choosing destinations, accommodations, restaurants, and attractions by providing user-generated content and expert advice. Operating in numerous countries, it’s one of the world’s largest travel sites. Its primary market includes the US, Europe, and Asia. Beyond reviews, Tripadvisor offers booking services through partnerships and direct links to service providers. Tripadvisor, Inc. is publicly traded, with diverse ownership spanning institutional and individual investors.
Meaning and history
Emerging in the year 2000, Tripadvisor, the brainchild of Stephen Kaufer and his co-founders, commenced its journey not as the review-centric platform we recognize today, but as a site gathering expert travel advice. The pivot to user-generated content was inspired by a simple observation: travelers craved authentic experiences narrated by fellow adventurers.
The company’s transformative idea was to place real travelers at the heart of its platform. By 2001, the inclusion of user reviews altered Tripadvisor’s trajectory, making it the go-to source for candid travel insights. The site rapidly grew in popularity, offering reviews of hotels, destinations, and later, restaurants and attractions.
In 2004, the company witnessed its first major corporate evolution when it became a subsidiary of InterActiveCorp (IAC). However, this association was short-lived, as just two years later, in 2006, IAC spun off its travel businesses, including Tripadvisor, into a separate entity named Expedia, Inc.
The subsequent years were marked by exponential growth. By 2011, Tripadvisor decided it was time to leave the Expedia umbrella, becoming an independent publicly traded company. Around this time, it also expanded its services, venturing into vacation rentals and direct booking capabilities.
2000 – 2020
Tripadvisor aficionados have an indelible memory of the brand’s inaugural logo: a quirky owl whose multicolored eyes suggested it was embarking on an extraordinary voyage. This emblem became an instant hit, gaining traction both online and offline. Many businesses proudly displayed this distinct design on their reception desks and window panes.
The owl’s gaze, formed by two overlapping circles, gave an impression of peering through a telescope. This visual metaphor resonated deeply, given that the platform is renowned for offering dependable travel and business recommendations. Adjacent to this iconic figure, the word “TripAdvisor” was etched, employing entirely lowercase letters. Intriguingly, in different renditions, the brand’s moniker showcased an uppercase “A” positioned centrally.
2020 – Today
The year 2020 marked a period of significant transformation. By the end of January, the New York-centric creative agency, Mother Design, unveiled a revamped logo for the renowned travel platform, preserving the emblematic figure of Ollie the owl. The design maestros meticulously refined the image’s geometry, ensuring its optimal display across various sizes. They opted for a minimalist approach, eliminating the central circles in the eyes, replacing them with uniform black pupils.
This modification endowed the owl with a more accurate appearance. The revamped imagery epitomizes Tripadvisor’s esteemed position within the travel sector and accentuates its refined aesthetic. While the essence of the beloved mascot remains intact, its eyes no longer evoke the imagery of binoculars. Alongside the owl, the accompanying text has undergone a makeover. “Tripadvisor” now initiates with an uppercase ‘T’. This distinctive font is a bespoke creation by the experts at Colophon Foundry.
