Tripadvisor, the travel guidance platform founded in 2000, has built its visual identity around a single distinctive character: an owl mascot named Ollie. The owl has appeared in the company’s logo since its founding year, and company representatives have described Ollie as representing the “wisdom” of the millions of traveler reviews and opinions on the platform, which travelers can consult to research and plan their trips with confidence.[1]
Design and History
The original TripAdvisor owl logo, used from 2000 through early 2020, featured a multicolored design. The owl’s two eyes were differently colored, and its head was rendered in yellow.[2] The two eye colors carried specific meaning: green symbolized places travelers choose to go, and red symbolized places they choose not to go, based on reviews they read.[3]
In January 2020, Tripadvisor unveiled a refreshed identity created by Mother Design, a New York-based studio.[4] The redesign simplified Ollie considerably: the owl, which previously had two differently colored eyes and a yellow head, was rendered in black only.[2] Mother Design said it “retained its inherent personality but refined its geometry for better reproduction at all sizes,” describing the work as “an exercise both in reduction of complexity and amplification of character.”[5] The company also explained that it built on the shape of Ollie’s eyes, evolving his face from an oval to a circle and straightening out his ears and beak, while increasing the line weight of the entire logo to make Ollie more recognizable at smaller sizes. A green circle was placed around Ollie to help him stand out from the brand name.[6]
The 2020 refresh also included a naming change: “TripAdvisor” became “Tripadvisor,” with the capital “A” decapitalized. The company said that after 20 years, people recognized the name and pronounced it as a single word, so the brand now appeared the same everywhere, from articles to the app to the logo.[6]
In July 2025, Tripadvisor launched another brand refresh, this time in partnership with creative studio Koto, timed to the company’s 25th anniversary.[7] Koto described the new logo as bringing new life to Ollie: “Once static and ornamental, Ollie now feels alert and expressive, his gaze always oriented toward traveler content, a quiet cue that Tripadvisor values their perspective.”[8] The 2025 update removed the background color block that had been added around the owl in the 2020 Mother Design version, and Ollie’s eyes became interactive, tracking content and moving with the user’s cursor.[9]
Meaning and Symbolism
The owl mascot’s name, Ollie, and its symbolism are documented by the company. In an official interview, a TripAdvisor executive explained that Ollie represents the wisdom of the platform’s collective traveler reviews and opinions.[1] The original logo’s two eye colors were directly tied to the review system: green signified recommendation, red signified non-recommendation, helping travelers decide which destinations to visit and which to avoid.[10]
The 2025 refresh introduced a refined color system. “Tripadvisor Green,” originally inspired by “green means go,” was refined to feel warmer and more vibrant. A new color called “Trip Pine” replaced black to add depth and reassurance, while “Trip White” enhanced clarity.[8]
Typography and Design
Mother Design’s 2020 rebrand introduced a custom wordmark typeface called Trip Sans, created in collaboration with Colophon Foundry. The typeface takes inspiration from early geometric sans-serif typefaces of the 20th century, and its forms match the geometry of the owl logo.[5] The 2025 Koto refresh retained Trip Sans as the brand’s typographic foundation, with its circular geometry inspired by Tripadvisor’s iconic bubble rating system.[8]
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