Mascots are back! Trivago’s adopts very smiley door hanger as its brand character

Just as Reddit relaunches its famous alien mascot in shiny 3D, Trivago is introducing its very own brand character. The hotel price comparison site has unveiled a new wordmark and smiley face icon in a rebrand from DesignStudio, the agency also responsible for identity refreshes for Eurostar and Center Parcs Europe this year. DesignStudio says that distinctiveness was the driving force behind the work; to get more people using Trivago, the experience of browsing had to be memorable.

And what better way to do it than with a door hanger? Taking this ubiquitous symbol of hotel room occupancy across the world, DesignStudio has crafted a character with some natural charm. This icon stacks together as three blocks of colour, which can bounce to create the illusion of walking, or spread to become gliding wings; its eyes also dart around widely occasionally, in anticipation of a deal, perhaps. The T in Trivago has been broken into segments which link back visually to the door hanger, but also resemble a checkmark.

Illustration and typography has been designed with the comparison function in mind. Savvy Grotesk, created with Studio Feixen, supports several hundred languages, helping with the reach of the platform. It features highly exaggerated, bendy inktraps and sharp corners which feel at home with the travel and budget-friendly space Trivago sits in.

Illustrations from Niceshit take their cue from the new brand character, which by the way is called Hank. They show scenes associated with travel and overnight stays – croissants and squeaky hotel trolleys, etc. DesignStudio says the purpose of Hank generally is to guide users through not only the search comparison tool but their onward journeys.

“Our goal was not just to create a new look but to redefine the essence of Trivago – to make it a brand that people not only recognise but connect with on a personal level and return to time and again,” says Vinay Mistry, ECD at DesignStudio.

Jamine Ezz, CMO at Trivago adds: “As we give our brand a fresh look, we’re building up on the concepts that made Trivago a strong global brand. It’s a mix of where we’ve been and where we’re headed. This isn’t just an aesthetic upgrade; it’s our way of standing out in the competitive travel market, making sure we cut through the noise.”