For graphic designers, there may be nothing more rewarding than seeing their work brought to life on an international stage. That’s exactly the opportunity our fellow designer David Nguyen had when he was tasked with a visual identity project around the World Cup.

Airbnb wanted to engage football fans (who are potential hosts and guests themselves) during the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, but at a local level. The idea was to generate awareness of our service in an emerging market through initiatives like viewing events and a street team that issued promotional materials to individuals and local businesses. We hoped that these efforts would translate into more listings for the city.

A compilation of promotional materials created for the World Cup.

David created icons to represent Airbnb, Brazil, and football that were used for a visual signature and designs on city guides, t-shirts, beach chairs, umbrellas, street posters, and our fave – a Kombi Volkswagen van. David and project manager Nina Arshagouni delivered the assets to our local Airbnb team in Rio, which was responsible for production and execution with the help of a local agency.

Besides the strict deadline, David encountered several challenges. He needed to design a scalable visual system with a two-color palette of no specific team allegiance. It had to look distinct from official World Cup branding since Airbnb wasn’t an event sponsor. Finally, it had to be sensitive to the fact that this came shortly before the announcement of our new brand. The aim was an identity that matched this transitional period.

This is the type of work that keeps us inspired. There are always opportunities here to showcase our work in tangible ways and make contributions that help Airbnb expand in emerging markets. It’s an honor anytime we can help hosts earn extra income and empower travelers to have authentic, memorable experiences.

Blog

Airbnb's World Cup visual identity