The New Airbnb • Hacker News Board

Re: The New Airbnb

#31

Post by gkop » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:13 PM UTC

Frankly I did not see this coming [0], I always figured Airbnb would aim to be a universal marketplace, rather than carving out a niche in "authentic", "unique", "truly amazing experiences".

Anyhow, I read "belonging" as a coded word for "community", and wonder how Airbnb thinks they are going to culture their own community...

Maybe they will make a strategic acquisition? Lonely Planet, for example.

Or maybe they will bleed some of their profits into a virtual currency / karma that folks can earn, trade, and apply toward accommodations? Airbnb could tweak the karma economy to maximize profits while still infusing enough karma to bootstrap their community.

[0] http://blog.airbnb.com/belong-anywhere

Re: The New Airbnb

#32

Post by mfisher87 » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:14 PM UTC

stevenkovar wrote: post #8

Not a critique of the design overall, but if someone responsible for the home page design is reading this: it might be worth applying a slight translucent layer over the background images/videos to help make the white text more readable (something like (0,0,0,0.4)!

I think because the background is such a long, varied animation, it works as-is. None of the letters are unreadable for more than a moment, and only occasionally do small portions become unreadable. The exception, I think, is the Signup|Login|Help navigation section in the top-right. Sometimes whole links become unreadable for like 5 seconds!

Re: The New Airbnb

#33

Post by neilk » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:14 PM UTC

aganders3 wrote: post #12

trustfundbaby wrote: post #4

Not bad, but I have to say the old design/logo/identity just seemed like more ... fun.

I agree, but I could see (for example) my parents trusting the new design more. It seems more like a legitimate short term rental service rather than a couchsurfing site.

And yet it retains the informality you want from an AirBnB. It's almost perfect.

IMO the design process seems way over the top, but it seems to have produced results.

Re: The New Airbnb

#34

Post by untog » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:15 PM UTC

For so long, people thought Airbnb was about renting houses. But really, we’re about home. You see, a house is just a space, but a home is where you belong.

I hope they didn't pay very much for this, it's nauseating.

Re: The New Airbnb

#35

Post by azinman2 » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:15 PM UTC

knowtheory wrote: post #22

Well, this should go down in the annals of logos which should have gotten some wider impressions before launching. Since nobody else on HN has mentioned it, all of twitter thinks the new logo looks like a vagina. It's hard to unsee.

Glad I wasn't the only one, although for me it wasn't so specific -- it just suggested sexual.

Re: The New Airbnb

#36

Post by alphonse23 » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:16 PM UTC

jmathai wrote: post #13

alphonse23 wrote: post #6

I can't say I really believe in Airbnb as a company and idea, but that is a damn well designed website -- I guess you could say the best money could buy..

What is it about the company and idea which make it difficult for you to believe?

What the company is doing is essentially illegal. You can't rent out a living space without applying for rezoning, and then it still has to be with the approval of the city planning department of the city. You can't just let people turn their places into rentals. I live in a large city, and I would mostly agree that city planning in necessary in order to avoid problems with traffic, parking, and all the other problems that happen in dense urban areas.

I think the idea is great, but it's not going to work, maybe in a more relaxed country where they don't care to do any city planning, but not in the United States and other more densely populated cities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/nyregion/the-airbnb-econom...

Re: The New Airbnb

#37

Post by ollerac » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:16 PM UTC

knowtheory wrote: post #22

Well, this should go down in the annals of logos which should have gotten some wider impressions before launching. Since nobody else on HN has mentioned it, all of twitter thinks the new logo looks like a vagina. It's hard to unsee.

What's wrong with a logo that looks like a vagina? Apple's logo looks like an apple, which isn't really related to their business.

Re: The New Airbnb

#38

Post by ElComradio » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:17 PM UTC

Think of how many meaningful connections you could make if you charged below market rate for lodging in high demand areas. Until now I thought airbnb was about making money for themselves and their hosts, but now I see it's about connecting the world through meaningful experiences and the money is almost not even a factor! Amazing!

Re: The New Airbnb

#39

Post by bellerocky » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:19 PM UTC

azinman2 wrote: post #35

knowtheory wrote: post #22

Well, this should go down in the annals of logos which should have gotten some wider impressions before launching. Since nobody else on HN has mentioned it, all of twitter thinks the new logo looks like a vagina. It's hard to unsee.

Glad I wasn't the only one, although for me it wasn't so specific -- it just suggested sexual.

I thought the new airbnb logo looked like boobs.

Re: The New Airbnb

#40

Post by untog » Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 6:19 PM UTC

ollerac wrote: post #37

knowtheory wrote: post #22

Well, this should go down in the annals of logos which should have gotten some wider impressions before launching. Since nobody else on HN has mentioned it, all of twitter thinks the new logo looks like a vagina. It's hard to unsee.

What's wrong with a logo that looks like a vagina? Apple's logo looks like an apple, which isn't really related to their business.

If you were designing a logo, would you make one that looks like a penis?