Airbnb
For any startup experiencing rapid growth, expansion means new challenges. As Airbnb expanded its community-driven platform in new markets and countries, they wanted to tell the stories of their hosts and guests across the globe, but through an extremely local lens.
Our task was nuanced – develop a single platform that was simultaneously global and local; one that could serve press, policy-makers, and hosts; and one that built on their established brand without confusing the product experience.
Developing the brand
Original Airbnb Action
One of the client's early placeholder names, Airbnb Action, had stuck – and unfortunately it implied political insurgency and revolution, all the wrong themes.
I led a wide-reaching naming process that considered many high-concept solutions.
We ultimately arrived at Airbnb Citizen.
It’s an immediately legible term with local, civic, participatory, fair, and conscientious associations. From there, the visual branding flowed naturally – making use of established elements in their brand system, but emphasizing the rich purple and more restrained hues of Airbnb's primary brand palette.
Designing the platform
As an entry point to the platform, the homepage needed to do a lot of work: introduce the sub-brand, articulate the point-of-view, and guide users to a local experience.
Over the course its scroll length, the homepage establishes this narrative and offers multiple opportunities to dig deeper – into personal host stories, into economic impact dashboards, into specific localities, or into the company's broader CSR efforts, such as providing homes for refugees.
Across the site, photography works hard – showcasing users in a civic context rather than a vacationing one.
Deeper in the site, there are opportunities to signup for local email updates, take advocacy action, and explore data related to the tourism impact of home sharing.
CREDITS
Produced by Blue State Digital for Airbnb.
Branding and creative direction: Chris Royalty
Design: Jenna Steely
UX: Sarah Papp
Development: Jon Jandoc
Account management: Katie Wiley, Kelley Hodge, Julianna Egner, and Lauren Dobkin