Core77
And we are not intending a pun in the title at all. The thing is perfect.
We were excited to attend the press preview of Airbnb's new identity last week in Tribeca and have to say that the new marque is pretty brilliant. Co-founder and friend Joe Gebbia kicked off his remarks with a shout out to Core77 as "the first site to ever write about Airbnb"(!)—back when it was "Air Bed and Breakfast"—and then took us through the evolution of the brand to its new birth this morning.
The heavy lifting was done by DesignStudio, a London-based shop who basically embedded themselves at Airbnb HQ for months (and is now led in SF by immensely thoughtful founding partner Paul Stafford).
All we can say is that if they wanted something completely universal, instantly memorable, drawable, customizable, and hackable by every homeowner, front lawn sign maker, and (we're guessing soon) restaurant and shop window, DesignStudio and the folks at Airbnb have hit it out of the park... and, well, right through your bedroom window.
They're launching a Create Airbnb site today to let you make your own version, so we figure by tomorrow this logo will have worked its way around the world into myriad interpretations and some pretty smart embodiments...especially since this is such a beloved brand with countless fans with Photoshop, phones, tablets, and painting apps in their arms.
Ready, set, go. And congrats to the team.
Ed. Note: Additional thoughts on Bélo here
Allan Chochinov is a partner of Core77, a New York-based design network serving a global community of designers and design enthusiasts, and Chair of the new MFA in Products of Design graduate program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Allan lectures around the world and at professional conferences including IDSA, AIGA and IxDA, has been a guest critic at various design schools in including Yale University, IIT, Carnegie Mellon, Ravensbourne, RMIT, University of Minnesota, Emily Carr, and RISD. He has moderated and led workshops and symposia at the Aspen Design Conference, the Rockefeller Center at Bellagio, Compost Modern, and Winterhouse, and is a frequent design competition juror. Prior to Core77, his work in product design focused on the medical, surgical, and diagnostic fields, as well as on consumer products and workplace systems. He has been named on numerous design and utility patents and has received awards from The Art Directors Club, I.D. Magazine, Communication Arts, and The One Club.
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Airbnb's New Logo is an Absolute Home Run
This is just bad work. Awkward logo. Try-hard branding.
This is a case study in how strong group-think is in many design/product organizations. Obviously no one had the (pun intended) balls to stand up and say that the logo looks like two varieties of genitalia.