Along with a fresh identity for the brand, a new Airbnb logo was recently unveiled, featuring a shape called the "Bélo" that looks like an abstract uppercase "A"—as well as a few other suggestive things.
Airbnb scrapped its safe, cursive blue script and went bold with a curvaceous new shape for this new design. As with any drastic change to a company's branding, people have not been shy about speaking up. Since it was unveiled, many have compared it to both male and female anatomical parts, as well as a range of other things, which can be seen on the AirBNB Logos Tumblr account. Other than tons of drawings of suggestive body parts, some user submissions turn the new logo into everything from the faces of wrinkly pugs to aliens and tonsils.
What's Driving This Trend
- Rebranding Parodies
- Creating humorous parodies of new brand logos allows for public commentary and critique of design choices.
- Controversial Branding
- Bold and drastic changes to a company's branding can stir up strong reactions and discussions among the public.
- User-generated Content
- Encouraging user submissions and creative reinterpretations of a brand logo can generate engagement and promote brand awareness.
Who This Affects Most
- Advertising
- Advertising agencies can leverage rebranding parodies as a form of creative and engaging marketing content.
- Design
- Design professionals can analyze the public's response to controversial brand logo changes and use it as a case study for future projects.
- Social Media
- Social media platforms can benefit from user-generated content like creative logo reinterpretations to increase user engagement and platform activity.
