HomeAway

The HomeAway Birdhouse Fosters A Community Of Trust And Acceptance

HomeAway is a vacation home rental marketplace. Founded in 2005 as part of the Expedia family, HomeAway is one of the first-ever home rental sites to exist.

It set the stage for home renting, and still stands as a leader in the industry, operating in almost 200 countries across the world.

And the logo design fosters that widespread and welcoming community.

The HomeAway logo is made up of a wordmark and a symbol. The two parts flow together seamlessly and come with a fluidity that can’t be ignored. These two parts don’t feel disjointed or too separate — instead, this simple and minimal logo is a powerful image that captures the essence of the brand itself.

The symbol in this logo is that of a tiny, illustrated birdhouse. Oftentimes seen in the brand’s signature color — blue — the birdhouse comes with its own connotations and feelings. But right off the bat, you’re hit with its minimal and simplistic quality — with a sleekness and sophistication that gives the brand a modern edge.

We all know what a birdhouse is — it’s that tiny structure we hang from trees or situate on top of a pole. It houses birdseed or other food and is used to give birds a place to rest away from the harsh elements and predators in our yards.

A birdhouse is a happy image. It reminds you of warmer months and sunny days. It’s an image that immediately evokes a joy and an enthusiasm. We all can look back to fonder times when we were kids building these structures or watching the birds interact with them behind the glass of windows.

This gives the brand a peaceful and happy vibe, causing consumers to relate that same happiness to the brand itself.

But it’s also a symbol of openness. It’s a symbol that welcomes others to come in and join hands. Birdhouses are meant to provide shelter to any and all that need it. And similarly, HomeAway is a brand that offers consumers with vacation homes that they can rent and find shelter in.

And they can do so with the knowledge that they are welcome. They are wanted. This is an open, honest and inviting community of travelers. There are no biases or prejudices. These are just people that want to do good and provide a good service.

And this birdhouse promotes that atmosphere tenfold.

Check out other successful uses of symbolism in logo design by perusing our Best Logo Design section!

The Simplicity Of The HomeAway Wordmarks Lets Consumers Know The Brand Delivers On Its Promised Service

HomeAway went with a simple logo design that is made up of a symbol and wordmark. Both elements consist of thin, strong lines with little extravagance or overwhelming design elements. And this minimalism is clear as day in the brand’s wordmark.

The wordmark is written in a blue and white coloring, and the font is of a bold, sans-serif nature. There are no extra lines or playful aspects. It’s blunt, straightforward and direct. It lacks the fluidity seen in competitor logos like Airbnb — and there’s a reason for that.

Unlike Airbnb, HomeAway offers entire properties, not single rooms or beds. It’s less of a site directed at creating connections and promoting travel adventures. In that way, it’s more of a corporate entity than Airbnb comes off as — and that’s important in order to connect with its base.

The main people who put these homes up for rent on HomeAway are property management companies — people who are interested more in the business of it all and less about fostering a community of travelers.

This might be off-putting to younger audiences looking to have an adventure and hop from bed to bed, but it also shows that the brand knows its audience through and through.

This brand is geared more towards older individuals and families who want to stay at a destination but have the freedom of being in a home. And this wordmark promotes that professionalism and authority.

The strong lines and lack of pomp and circumstance here help to align the brand as a professional, industry-leading service. It’s still modern and approachable, but it wants consumers to know that it’s a brand that means business first and foremost.

And the simplicity and strength of the wordmark make that apparent.

HomeAway’s Blue Logo Design Puts Users At Ease Throughout Their Home Sharing Experience

The HomeAway logo is a simple design with an element that comes from its wording and an element that comes from its symbol. But the design feature that links these two entities together is the coloring that promotes positivity, enthusiasm, and peacefulness.

The HomeAway logo — and most of its branding as a whole — is connected by a light, airy blue coloring. The symbol is created in this eye-catching blue, and half of the wordmark is written in that same color.

The first half of the wordmark — home — is written in black to provide contrast and to help the logo stand out in differing colors. The second half — away — is written in blue to match the symbol and the website as a whole.

The color blue is a color often used by brands — from social media sites to banking institutions and everything in between. That’s because it has a powerful effect on consumer behaviors and consumer emotions.

It’s a relaxing and peaceful color that gives off an authority and a trustworthiness, things that brands want consumers to think when thinking about them. But incorporating this color into designs promotes feelings of creativity, and encourage consumers to interact.

And brands, ultimately, want consumers to perform actions — so using the color blue is just another way to achieve that.

And this logo design uses blue in a subtle and creative way. Most of the time, these colors are used to create the logo, and in others, the color blue sits in the background. Either way, this blue is obvious and apparent, making a statement and grabbing user attention immediately.

Want to learn more about color psychology? Read our article on how important colors are used in design and marketing!

The History Of HomeAway And Its Logo

HomeAway is all about home renting. The company is part of the overall Expedia brand and aims to give travelers an entire property to call home while on vacation. It was founded in 2005 and has grown with more than two million listings in 190 countries.

HomeAway, based in Austin, Texas, is the world leader in vacation rentals with more than 2 million unique places to stay in 190 countries, and is a part of the Expedia, Inc. family of brands. Through HomeAway, owners and property managers offer an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, often for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. The company also makes it easy for vacation rental owners and property managers to advertise their properties and manage bookings online.

This Texas-based company was one of the first of its kind, and 13 years later, it’s still a top destination for individuals and families looking to find a vacation rental that they can actually feel comfortable in and enjoy.

If you are looking for designers in this region, check out our list of the best Texas logo design companies.

HomeAway wasn’t always a part of the Expedia family — the brand acquired it in 2016. But this acquisition gave the brand an even bigger edge. This is a family of travel sites that millions of users use every year, so being a part of this family gives HomeAway access to consumers with ease and at larger volumes.

Fun fact — the number of beds on HomeAway is enough to house the entire population of New York City! That’s not something to shake a stick at.

The HomeAway brand brings something different to the table — something that separates it from the competition. It’s a more modern, traditional and trustworthy brand due to its professional and corporate nature. It’s an affiliate of other trusted brands, and this authenticity transfers to the brand easily.

It’s also geared more towards professional entities in terms of those providing listings. Instead of individuals, this website attracts property management companies. This means that the properties are often taken care of better and come with more modern amenities that consumers are familiar with — similar to hotels in that respect.

But it’s obvious that HomeAway has carved out its section of the vacation rental market — and it’s not going away anytime soon.

The HomeAway Logo Embraces Users With An Inviting Design

The HomeAway logo is a simple, modern and powerful symbol that promotes happiness, peacefulness and a welcome nature.

From the inviting birdhouse to the bright coloring and the strong wordmark — this is a logo that tells people it’s an authority. It’s a powerhouse in the industry. It’s a brand that can be trusted because it knows what it’s doing and it’s been doing it for almost 20 years.

The blue in this logo is a common color, but it still stands out and promotes a serenity that many people are looking for when it comes to vacationing. Similarly, the birdhouse symbol fosters an atmosphere that makes everyone feel welcome.

This modern and minimal design allows for the brand to stand out against its competitors, giving it a more professional edge that certainly dares to be seen.

Does your brand need a new logo? Don’t stress! DesignRush has a comprehensive list of top logo design companies that can help!