# Vrbo new logo (2019)

> Vrbo launched a new logo on 27 Mar 2019, designed by FÖDA. New logo and identity.

## Key facts

- Brand: Vrbo
- Launched: 27 Mar 2019
- Studio: FÖDA
- What changed: New logo and identity.
- Why: HomeAway rebranded as Vrbo to connect home owners with people who want space to drop everyday distractions and be together.
- Industry: Consumer internet
- Logos: https://rebrandlog.com/logos/vrbo-2019/before.svg (before), https://rebrandlog.com/logos-ovr/vrbo-2019/after.svg (after)

## The rebrand, explained

Vrbo pioneered online holiday rentals in 1995, pairing homeowners with groups looking for somewhere to stay. By 2019 it belonged to Expedia Group, which said the changes reflected its commitment to Vrbo and to the people it serves: families and friends who want to stay together. HomeAway president John Kim said the aim was to connect owners of homes, cabins and condos with people who want space to drop the distractions of everyday life and simply be together.

On 27 March 2019 the brand revealed a new look and, unusually, a new pronunciation. The name would be said VER-boh, officially adopting what the brand said its most passionate users had called it for years. The logo, designed with the studio FÖDA, is a fluidly intertwined series of stripes that form the name. The stripes stand for bringing people together on holiday and for the variety of trips people take; the colours were inspired by hues seen while travelling and can be adapted to represent different people, countries and causes.

The brand launched with product built around the same idea. Vrbo said 86 percent of US travellers involve others in planning a trip, so it introduced Trip Boards, which let groups save, share, comment on and vote for properties, with push notifications, alongside 15,000 360-degree virtual tours. A national TV and digital ad directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and produced by Prettybird followed on 15 April, showing families and friends matched with homes that fit them.

The new logo went live on launch day, alongside the online tools.

The Austin American-Statesman, writing from the company's home town, explained why HomeAway lost. The president said the old name had been chosen for its descriptive value when holiday rentals were an emerging category; now that booking a home was mainstream, the business needed a lifestyle brand people would recommend, and it already had one. The company cited Google Trends data showing Vrbo outperforming HomeAway as a US search term, and research found VER-bo easier to say than the acronym. Letting customers' own habits choose the master brand is humble and, for once, obviously correct.

The pronunciation fix is the smartest thing here: a brand nobody knew how to say is a brand nobody can recommend out loud. The striped logo is cheerful and flexible, and the togetherness story is coherent from logo to product. It is also soft and a little generic, more friendly travel app than distinctive mark.

In short: A name people can finally say, in a friendly if forgettable logo.

## Sources

- https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_logo_and_identity_for_vrbo_by_foda.php
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vrbo-announces-tools-for-planning-trips-with-families-and-friends-as-it-unveils-new-look-and-pronunciation-300819372.html

## Cite this

Rebrand Log, "Vrbo new logo (2019)", https://rebrandlog.com/rebrand/vrbo-2019/, last updated 2026-10-20.