StormchildSep 4 2009 3:07 AM
Excellent work!
• Clean and simple design
• Obvious symbolism, more appropriate for the specific purpose of this site
• Retains the original color (I always prefer to retain some element of the old identity)
• Lends itself well to stylized treatments, as the examples show
• I would have liked to see a little perspective in the logo itself, such that the first and last flipcards were at an angle as seen in the first exploratory conceptMickSep 4 2009 8:41 AM
Both logos are rather... pedestrian?
To be honest I\'ve never even heard of kayak (nor the supposed \'infamous\' claim of bing copying kayak)Jon SandruckSep 4 2009 11:18 AM
I always thought the Kayak logo made sense. It\'s an aerial view of a Kayak and an eye. They watch the flow of nearly indecipherable travelinformation and act as a guide...like on a river. Ever been kayaking?
The new logo, while aesthetically pleasant, doesn\'t make as much metaphorical sense. Which isn\'t to say I don\'t like it, or that it isn\'t good...I just worry about these influx of identities that turn real words into unrelated gibberish for the sake of a clever visual.
I think about that every time I talk to my parents and they say something like, \"What the hell is a Hulu?\"Andy MacDonaldSep 4 2009 11:29 AM
wow, BING looked so much like kayak that I assumed they were pulling in a direct feed from kayak.com. crazy.
Matt GistSep 4 2009 12:34 PM
I would have to disagree with the statement \"Below is some exploratory concept work for the larger rebrand, which shows a definite shift in the right direction..\"
The new logo is, at best, fine. Many fun things can be done with the new logo, the obvious fun that can be had as a \'loading\' animation is something I look forward too.
However, the two screens under the \"...exploratory concept work...\" statement are NOT an improvement. The search screen is a side-step in ease of use, no better and no worse (IMO).
The second screen in the same area is a HUGE step backwards. All the options hidden away, the columns floating rather bizarrely amongst one another and rounded corners for absolutely no reason at all... I, myself, can\'t look at that screen and justify why anything was changed.
I\'m a pretty big fan of Kayak. I liked the Kayak/eye thing they had going on but I don\'t mind this new logo. However the new logo made me feel like a new design would be equally as easy to welcome... Those screens shown, regarding to exploratory design, those screens are not welcome.YuraSep 4 2009 12:38 PM
Amazing! I really like the new concept, especially the motion part of it!
TylerSep 4 2009 2:29 PM
It\'s a work in progress. I definitely agree with the need to move away from a Bing-similar logo, and i think aesthetically the new logo is an improvement. However, I agree that the second screen (Like Matt said) is beginning to move backwards. Keeping the site\'s fluidity and ease of use is key. Keeping standard columns on the side is necessary.
BartSep 4 2009 3:06 PM
But it wasn\'t the logo that was similar to Bing (re: Tyler\'s comment), it was the layout of Bing\'s travel search results.
I think people are being too nice about the new logo. They have a good name for a travel site, but the new logo does nothing to reinforce it. Would it be so terrible for them to have something else with a kayak if they really wanted a change? The current execution on their website is also bad. I didn\'t see the display board idea in it, it doesn\'t have the pronounced crease that the iPhone icon has, it\'s hard to see that the tiles have rounded corners, and the drop shadow is too dark (and slightly chopped off).KimSep 4 2009 3:17 PM
Solari boards are retro cool.
Nice title for this post BTW :-)I just can\'t help but feel that the display board thing is just so damn predictable and cliche.
clussmanSep 5 2009 9:34 PM
Well, as someone who hadn\'t heard of Kayak before, the first logo gave me the impression that they might have something to do with, well, kayaks. Not travel. The new logo immediately gave me the impression of travel. The design is simple but clearer and can obviously be played off of.
JamesSep 5 2009 10:41 PM
Those boards make me think of train stations. You can book hotels, flights and cars, but you can\'t book trains on kayak.com.
dwf29Sep 6 2009 1:32 AM
Hmmmmmmm I have to disagree, I think the the new look is rather clunky. What I liked about the old kayak logo was I identified with a kayakers experience: independent, close to the water, adventurous and I felt that way using kayak. Now I feel like I\'m just like everyone else just looking up at a travel board.
mxSep 6 2009 3:44 AM
i haven\'t used kayak before, have no emotional connection with the old logo. from a new user\'s point of view, the new logo is much better.
kayakerSep 6 2009 11:55 AM
Long time Kayak\'er here, short time idsgn\'r... Very surprised to see the rebrand, as I\'ve always thought their original mark was great. Clean, crisp, the name really stands out. And, the visual was maybe too much like an eye and not enough like a kayak, but it was simple and distinct. Now, the merging of the visuals with the text is very distracting. The flipping letters... I get it... but it doesn\'t reinforce the brand image of the name. Not sure what was driving the need for change.
Also, re: Bing travel comparisons: apparently farecast.com (the company Microsoft purchased to turn into Bing travel) was out before kayak and kayak lifted much of its visual presentation style from farecast. That said, there are many subtle differences that make Kayak much more usable than Bing Travel.Matt SteelSep 7 2009 12:26 PM
I fully agree with those who say the original logo was better. And though I don\'t know the backstory re: Bing copying the original Kayak logo, why on earth didn\'t the people at Kayak ask Bing to kindly change their logo, rather than redesign that which came first?
Perhaps the old logo could\'ve used a refresh, but the concept fit the name. Keeping the name but using an entirely unrelated concept seems like the result of cognitive dissonance.
P.S.—the drop shadow looks gross.VidiotSep 7 2009 12:56 PM
A couple things -- it\'s Grand Central Terminal, not \"Grand Central Station\", since it\'s a terminus of the Metro-North Railroad. And the station doesn\'t have split-flap boards, as you imply; they have electronic ones. The only Solari-type split-flap board I know of in NYC is in the MoMA collection.
KitSep 7 2009 3:03 PM
wow, lots of bashing. I don\'t know how you guys feel when new things are introduced. Simply because I felt that this is a much more direct response to what \"traveling\" means to everyone. Not everyone kayaks and a design shouldn\'t limit its image to what the word \"kayak\" means.
I felt that its a fine decision. Most importantly it is now a visual language that transforms into a larger variety and give way stronger impression than the \"eye\".SkylarSep 8 2009 8:53 AM
@Vidiot, thanks for the correction. We are referring to the split-flap boards used at Grand Central prior to the new electronic boards (which were one of most famous Solari departure boards in the world). We have updated the photo above to include a close up of part of the display, from the New York Transit Museum.
RodrokSep 8 2009 9:25 AM
great solid concept! perfect fit for the industry it opens doors for creative advertising.
mrmarkrobsonSep 8 2009 10:05 AM
ive always loved the flip flap signage in airports and such....it hasnt looked this good since the beginning of the movie Terminal!
yes, in a just world, Solari boards would replace electronic ones, not the other way around...
Zach O.Sep 8 2009 9:01 PM
Kayak recently hired Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to handle creative and media duties for a bigger $40-60 million marketing push unlike which will probably include TV. In the past Kayak has only relied upon search-engine optimization and public relations to spread the word about Kayak.com. Priceline, Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity and now Kayak. So keep an eye out.
Kayak hired Goodby, Silverstein & Partners recently to handle media and creative duties. The budget is between $40-60 million which a lot more than Kayak used to spend on in the past which was mostly PR and SEO.
ElisaSep 11 2009 7:17 PM
I love their new logo! I didn\'t had to make myself see the kayak in the old logo because to me it did just look like an eye.
Vicky NimbalkarSep 14 2009 3:57 PM
The new logo looks good. It gives a feel of the schedule batch we see at the airport.
Good job
Vicky Nimbalkar
http://www.vickynimbalkar.comLuke RodgersNov 2 2009 4:50 PM
@Jon Sandruck, is your mother part of your focus group for this brand?
I\'m this brand\'s focus subject, and my opinion is name: memorable, old logo: immature, clunky and confusing to the brand (you mean they are not a kayak dealer?), new logo: dynamic, fresh, more in line with the brand (travel). TV campaign: brilliant, enticing, and nails solid the concept of the logo.
Luke Rodgers
brother@brotherlab.com
www.brotherlab.com
Lisa Sandbank