A great travel logo design should invoke feelings of excitement, adventure, and endless exploration. We all dream of getting away from our everyday lives and drinking a fruity cocktail on a sandy beach or traversing a mountain path with breathtaking views. Travel companies make these daydreams a reality by handling the less glamorous aspects of planning a trip, such as booking hotel rooms and flights.
If you are planning on launching your own travel agency or online travel business, having a captivating logo can help you stand out among the crowd. The perfect travel logo should make people feel giddy for their upcoming trip while also providing a sense of calm, knowing that all accommodations will be taken care of properly.
In this article, we’ll explore why logos are an important part of your business’s marketing plan, how the logo design process works, and what things you should and shouldn’t include in your travel logo design. We’ll even go over some existing travel logos for inspiration.
- Why Your Travel Business Needs a Good Logo
- What Your Travel Logo Should Include
- Designing a Travel Logo: A Step-By-Step Guide
- Getting Inspiration from Some Iconic Travel Logos
Why Your Travel Business Needs a Good Logo
Whether you run a large travel agency or an up-and-coming travel blog, having a strong logo is one of the most important things you’ll need to build your business. That being said, a good logo alone can’t create a successful business, but it can give potential customers an idea of what your business has to offer.
American art director and graphic designer Paul Rand summarized this idea quite eloquently when he said, “A logo doesn’t sell (directly); it identifies.” Even if you design the most beautiful travel logo, it won’t be able to bring in customers alone; however, an eye-catching logo brings with it plenty of other benefits.
The Benefits of Having an Amazing Logo
Here are some of the reasons why you should take the time to create a memorable logo for your travel business.
- Make a good first impression: Your company’s logo will likely be the first thing that potential clients interact with. A well-designed logo creates a sense of professionalism and trustworthiness.
- Build your brand identity: Logos appear on all marketing materials, including business cards, brochures, and even the company website. Your customers will begin to associate your business with your logo, which will symbolize your brand.
- Speak to your ideal client: You can (and should) design your logo with your ideal customer in mind. Your travel logo should communicate your unique value proposition to your target audience.
- Elicit emotions: When you see iconic logos like the McDonald’s arches, you feel certain emotions associated with that brand. Logos are more than images; they carry symbolic significance.
If you want to start experiencing the many benefits of wonderful logo design, FreeLogoServices can help you develop your logo with its powerful online Logo Maker solution.
What Your Travel Logo Should Include
The process of designing a memorable logo is relatively straightforward; however, your industry, target audience, and business objectives will all impact the direction of your logo design.
For example, if you were creating a bakery logo, you would include images of bread or baked goods and use a bright color palette to form a sense of comfort and reliability. Crafting a logo for the travel industry would involve using different iconography. Icons can enhance the storytelling aspect of your logo. For instance:
- A plane taking off can symbolize adventure.
- A palm tree may represent tropical destinations.
- A compass can suggest guidance and exploration.
Icons are a great way to show what your business is all about in a clear and concise fashion.
The Power of Descriptive Logos
A descriptive logo includes text and/or visual design elements that clearly communicate the type of product or service a brand is marketing. For example, Burger King has a very descriptive logo featuring the word “burger” along with two buns, showing exactly what the company is offering.
A 2019 study found that it’s easier for consumers to visually process descriptive logos and understand what a brand markets as a result. If you want your potential customers to view your brand as “authentic” and to understand what you offer from the jump, you should create a descriptive logo. This is particularly important for small businesses just starting out because your customers won’t have a history with your brand to draw from.
Nondescriptive logos can also be wildly successful—just look at Nike. However, these logos don’t tell customers what the company offers, so it needs additional marketing efforts, such as a TV commercial, advertising jingle, or billboard, to explain what the company actually does.
Designing a Travel Logo: A Step-By-Step Guide
According to a Microsoft study, the human attention span has dropped to just eight seconds. If your logo doesn’t capture a viewer’s attention in eight seconds or less, they’ll move on to the next thing. Having a captivating logo that grabs attention is more important now than ever.
In this section, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of designing the perfect travel logo. Hopefully, at the end of this process, you’ll have a wonderful new logo for your business that will get people excited about their next trip.
Step 1: Understand Your Brand Identity
A logo is an extension of your brand’s identity, but if the two don’t align, customers may feel disconnected. For instance, if your travel company focuses on online automation and efficiency, a vintage-style logo may feel out of place.
To better understand the message that your logo is trying to convey, ask yourself:
- What values does the travel brand represent (e.g., luxury, adventure, eco-tourism)?
- Who is the target audience (e.g., families, solo travelers, backpackers)?
- What feeling should the logo convey (e.g., relaxation, excitement, cultural exploration)?
Clear answers to these questions will provide a foundation for your design.
Step 2: Research the Industry
Studying other travel logos to identify trends and stand-out designs is a great way to gain inspiration for your own logo. However, don’t make the mistake of imitating competitors, as this can easily get you into some hot water. Instead, aim to create a unique logo that aligns with your travel company’s distinctive qualities.
Common elements that appear in many travel logos include:
- Nature motifs (e.g., mountains, trees, oceans)
- Transport imagery (e.g., planes, boats, cars)
- Globes and maps
- Cultural icons (e.g., landmarks, ethnic patterns)
Step 3: Choose the Right Colors
Color plays a significant role in setting the mood and tone of your logo. Different colors evoke different emotions. For example, the color red is known to illicit feelings of passion, excitement, and adventure, making it a solid choice if you’re a travel logo maker.
Just be careful not to incorporate too many colors into your travel logo design, or you might overwhelm your customers. 95% of the top 100 brands only use one or two colors in their logos. Using three or fewer colors will make your logo more memorable and will help people better connect with your brand.
Step 4: Select an Appropriate Typography
Typography can make or break your logo. Bold and fancy colors, fonts, and layout may seem like a good idea, but if your customers can’t easily read your logo, it’s all for nothing. Make sure that the typography is legible and fits with your brand’s overall identity.
Here are some typography suggestions for travel brands:
- Sans-serif fonts: Convey modernity and simplicity.
- Script fonts: Can evoke elegance or playfulness, depending on the style.
- Bold and rounded fonts: Great for brands targeting families or young audiences.
Step 5: Embrace Simplicity
When designing your own travel logo, try and make the design as simple as possible. Cluttered logos are hard to read and will often get neglected by potential customers. In recent years, there has been a trend towards minimalism in the logo design experience.
Step 6: Make Sure Your Logo is Versatile
A great logo is adaptable and works across various mediums. You should have different versions of your logo that you can use for different situations, including a version with a transparent background, a version with just text (also known as a wordmark), and a black-and-white version.
You should ensure your logo is scalable and looks good in various print layouts and digital mediums. Vector format files such as SVG are great for high-quality printing because your image won’t stretch out when you scale it to different sizes. In addition to vector files, you should also get all the files you might need, including PNG format and JPEG, to use your logo on different platforms.
Step 7: Test & Refine
Once you have a design, test it with the target audience or a focus group. Gather feedback to refine the design until it’s a perfect logo. Pay attention to:
- Emotional response
- Clarity and recognition
- Alignment with the brand’s vision
After gathering feedback and finalizing your logo, download your travel logo instantly and start using it on your marketing materials.
Use FreeLogoServices to Create Amazing Travel Logos
If you need some help creating a captivating travel logo design, FreeLogoServices is here for you! Our travel logo maker tool includes thousands of professional templates with customization options that you can use to craft an amazing logo in just minutes.
Here are some of the advantages of using our service and how it can transform your branding efforts.
- Vector file exporting ensures that you can print your design on a wide range of products.
- Our platform ensures that your logo is optimized for web use.
- Enjoy complete creative control over your logo design with our intuitive editor, which allows you to make unlimited edits until your logo is perfect.
- We offer flexible subscription options; choose a plan that best suits your needs and budget.
Getting Inspiration from Some Iconic Travel Logos
As we mentioned above, you should look at logos similar to yours in the travel industry for inspiration. You can also check out other logos in different industries to see what design elements you can incorporate into your travel logos.
We’ll go over some of the most famous travel logos and examine the different logo types that have had success in the industry. Hopefully they will give you some inspiration when deciding the right travel logo for you.
1. Expedia
Launched in 1996, Expedia is one of the most popular online travel agencies in the world. For over a decade, Expedia’s main logo was a yellow silhouette of an airplane on a navy blue background. This changed in March 2023, when the airplane logo was switched to an arrow pointing upwards to better reflect the company’s diverse travel offerings.
You should always choose wisely when deciding on a company logo, but as we can see from Expedia, you must also be willing to change your logo if you think a different icon or layout works better.
2. Tripadvisor
The Tripadvisor logo started off as an owl looking through a pair of binoculars, one side red and the other green. 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 traffic lights.
In 2020, Tripadvisor simplified the iconic owl logo, making it more minimalistic. Though the emblem is now executed in bold black lines, it looks much stronger than the previous version. It reflects the company’s progressiveness and readiness to change according to its customers’ needs.
3. Airbnb
Focusing more on accommodations than travel, Airbnb has revolutionized the approach to lodging and tourism. The Airbnb logo, known as the “Bélo,” is an abstract symbol that stands for belonging. It’s a combination of four elements:
- A head to represent people
- A location icon for a place
- A heart symbol for love
- An A for Airbnb
The Airbnb logo is a great example of how you can think outside of the box when it comes to travel logos to connect with your customers on a deeper level.
4. Trivago
The Trivago is composed of the word “trivago” segmented by different colors, which are used to distinguish parts of the name.
- The first segment, “tri” is in red, a color that is often associated with excitement and passion.
- The next segment, “va,” is in orange, which is a color that can represent enthusiasm, creativity, and affordability.
- The final segment, “go,” is in light blue, which typically symbolizes tranquillity, reliability, and trust.
The 2023 redesign saw the traditional “t” swapped out for a stylized symbol that doubles as a checkmark, representing a smile that refers to the company’s new brand promise, “Search savvy. Feel super.” Trivago is a wonderful example of how colors can be used in travel logos to bring out a variety of different emotions.
5. Travelocity
The current Travelocity logo dates back to 2003. Its minimalist design features a delicate lowercase wordmark and an abstract emblem on the left, composed of three stylized stars in orange and two shades of blue.
The simplicity and cleanliness of the wordmark’s lines add a sense of professionalism. At the same time, the emblem’s color palette represents the agency’s passion for travel and security. The simplicity of this design is what makes it a near-perfect travel logo.
Conclusion
Designing a creative travel logo is about more than just aesthetics; it’s about crafting a visual story that captures the essence of your company. By understanding the brand’s identity, researching trends, and focusing on elements like color, typography, and iconography, you can create a logo that inspires wanderlust and builds a strong connection with the audience.
Use FreeLogoServices‘ travel logo maker to create your own logo in just a few clicks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a travel logo stand out?
It stands out when it clearly conveys the brand’s identity, uses unique and meaningful design elements, and is visually appealing across different platforms.
How many colors should a travel logo have?
Ideally, a travel logo should use 2-3 main colors. This ensures it remains visually striking without being overwhelming. Make sure the colors align with the brand’s message and personality.
Should I include text in my travel logo?
Including text in a travel logo depends on the brand’s needs. A wordmark logo uses the business name in text as the primary element, while a combination logo blends text with imagery. Ensure the typography complements the overall design.
Can I use stock icons for my travel logo?
While stock icons can be a starting point, creating custom iconography is better for uniqueness and brand identity. A custom design guarantees your logo isn’t mistaken for someone else’s.
How do I ensure my travel logo is timeless?
To create a timeless logo, avoid trends that may quickly fade. Focus on classic design principles, such as simplicity, balance, and relevance, to ensure the logo remains fresh for years to come.
How long does it take to design a travel logo?The time required varies depending on complexity and feedback cycles. On average, designing a well-researched and polished travel logo can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. However, FreeLogoServices offers a suite of professional logo making tools that can help create an amazing logo in just minutes.
