The binoculars on the TripAdvisor logo symbolize a tool for searching. The red and green have roughly the same meaning as when they are used as the traffic lights.
The history of the project started in early 2000 in a small office above a pizza shop in Needham, Massachusetts. Initially, the website was supposed to be used as a B2B tool, but it was quickly modified to satisfy the travel community. In 2019, Forbes ranked the TripAdvisor Media Group as America’s Best Midsize Employer.
The redesign of 2020 simplified the iconic owl logo, making it more minimalist. Though now the emblem is executed just in bold black lines, it looks much stronger than on the previous version and reflects the progressiveness of the company and its readiness to change according to the needs of its customers.
The new logo is composed of an iconic owl image drawn in black and placed whether on its own, on a smooth green-colored background, or the left from a refreshed black logotype in a title case.
The logo was apparently created in-house. While it’s hardly possible to find any official comments about the meaning of the emblem, some of it appears pretty transparent.
To begin with, the binocular eyes of the owl symbolize an instrument for search. Also, the owl is an ancient symbol of wisdom. The fact it’s a bird (and hence, can travel), seems like an additional bonus.
By the way, the company’s mascot is an owl.
The TripAdvisor logotype from the company’s emblem, created in 2020, is executed in a bold and clean sans-serif typeface, which looks timeless and strong on the lowercase letters of the wordmark, and its capital “T”. The custom type was created for the brand based on such fonts as Litera Heavy and Aharoni MF Medium, but with some lines and contours modified.
The color palette of the TripAdvisor visual identity is built around two colors — black and light green, which are sometimes diluted by white elements. The combination of black and green is a sign of professionalism and success, which can also be read as a willingness to grow, passion for innovations, and well-being of its customers.