New TripAdvisor logo perks up its spaced-out owl

TripAdvisor has revealed a new logo, which sees its well-known and (fairly) well-loved mascot Ollie getting a sensible, monochrome makeover. The new logo for the hugely popular travel review company is part of a wider rebrand, and comes courtesy of Mother Design. 

As a reminder, here's what Ollie, and the rest of the TripAdvisor logo, used to look like. (For more branding inspiration, see our pick of the best logos of all time.)

Old TripAdvisor logo

The old Ollie looked like he was on a different kind of trip (Image credit: TripAdvisor)

It's striking and memorable, but the mix of colours within what is already quite a complex logo limits how impactful the design is in certain contexts and sizes. Not to mention those mismatched eyes giving the distinct impression that Ollie is on a different kind of trip. Below is the new TripAdvisor logo.

TripAdvisor logo 2020

The new logo has been simplified (Image credit: TripAdvisor / Mother London)

Mother Design's new look rectifies both of these issues. The redesigned logo keeps the essence of Ollie – a smart move, given how globally recognisable he has become – but given him a minimalist makeover. The new TripAdvisor logo has a simpler, monochrome design that's much more flexible for use in different contexts (publisher DK did a similar thing with its own logo earlier in the month).

"Appreciating the current love for and global recognition of the iconic logo, we retained its inherent personality but refined its geometry for better reproduction at all sizes," says Mother Design. "What was an exercise both in reduction of complexity and amplification of character resulted in a much simpler owl."

The spaced-out eyes may have disappeared, but there's still a strongly playful vibe to Mother's new branding scheme, as you can see if the GIF above. 

TripAdvisor branding 2020

The rebrand incorporates a new custom typeface and colour palette (Image credit: TripAdvisor / Mother London)

The rebrand introduces a new custom typeface, Trip Sans, created by Colophon Foundry. There's also a cheerful new colour palette, built around a similar green (Trip Green) to the distinctive shade we've come to associate with TripAdvisor. The company has announced it will be rolling out the refresh in phases over the coming year, so it seems like there might be more updates still to be revealed.

TripAdvisor is a travel guidance company that attracts nearly 460 million unique visitors each month. Read the Mother Design case study for more.

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Ruth Hamilton

Ruth spent a couple of years as Deputy Editor of Creative Bloq, and has also either worked on or written for almost all of the site's former and current print titles, from Computer Arts to ImagineFX. She now spends her days reviewing mattresses and hiking boots as the Outdoors and Wellness editor at T3.com, but continues to write about design on a freelance basis in her spare time.