Trip.com is the international travel booking platform of Trip.com Group Limited, the company formerly known as Ctrip.com International Ltd. The brand operates as one of four main brands under the group, alongside Ctrip, Qunar and Skyscanner, with Trip.com serving global users outside mainland China.[1]
Design and History
The current Trip.com identity is a text-based wordmark built around the domain name itself. In 2017, Ctrip acquired the San Francisco-based travel site Trip.com and positioned it as the company’s international brand.[2] In early 2019, the in-house BX design team at Trip.com developed a new visual identity system for the international platform.[2]
The most significant change was the removal of the dolphin graphic that had long served as Ctrip’s brand symbol in China. The design team decided that the dolphin, a recognizable symbol in the Chinese market, did not carry the same meaning for international audiences. Instead, the new identity emphasizes the domain name itself, making “Trip.com” the brand’s primary asset.[3] The wordmark strategy was chosen to lower cross-cultural comprehension barriers and improve flexibility across digital applications.[3]
The rebrand was described by Ctrip’s general manager for international business as an “inside-out rebranding” intended to appeal to international travelers. Creative work was handled both in-house and by the agency Growth Ring, with media buying by MEC.[4]
Later in 2019, the parent company underwent its own identity change. On October 25, 2019, shareholders approved renaming Ctrip.com International Ltd. to Trip.com Group Limited.[5] At the group’s 20th anniversary event in Shanghai on October 29, 2019, the company unveiled a new corporate logo alongside the name change.[5][6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Trip.com identity was built around the concept of the brand as a “travel mate.” The BX design team positioned the international brand with the vision of becoming the user’s “Non-stop travel Mate.”[7] The word “Trip” itself was treated as the brand’s ultimate value, encompassing the stories, memories and experiences the platform enables for travelers.[2]
The design team also created an “Omni Circle” element, described as clear, simple and eye-catching, serving as a window to show users stories and services while conveying the brand’s personality.[2]
Color-wise, the new identity retained the blue, orange and white palette of the original Ctrip brand, though the colors were made brighter and more vivid to convey a younger, more energetic feel.[8] This color inheritance was a deliberate brand asset management strategy, allowing existing users to transfer trust and familiarity from Ctrip to the new international brand.[3]
Typography and Design
The BX design team developed a custom typeface for Trip.com that supports up to 19 languages. This allowed the brand to maintain a consistent appearance across websites, apps, print media and outdoor advertising regardless of the user’s language.[2] Iconography for the brand system was extracted from the logo and followed the newly developed guidelines.[7]
The identity also included an illustration system depicting travelers from different countries, races and language backgrounds, using people rather than destination scenery as the narrative core.[3]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
