What font does Airbnb use and what alternatives are out there
Picture this: a global giant like Airbnb not just offering you a home away from home but a feast for your eyes with every click. That’s the power of a simple yet magnetic element – their font.
In a world where attention spans are shorter than the blink of an eye, the right typeface goes beyond aesthetics; it carries the essence of a brand’s identity.
So, what’s the secret sauce in Airbnb’s visual symphony? The font that Airbnb uses, aptly named Cereal, isn’t just a set of characters. It’s a storyteller, whispering tales of adventure, comfort, and trust into the traveler’s psyche.
Through this article, you’ll be embarked on a typographic journey.
Diving into the nuances of typeface characteristics and the branding guidelines that guide this artistic choice, you’ll gain insights on how user interface typography and the visual identity elements converge to create a cohesive brand experience.
Prepare to unravel the threads that weave the fabric of Airbnb’s digital personality.
What font does Airbnb use? Introducing the Cereal font
In 2014, Airbnb wanted to enhance its brand distinction by stabilizing both its online and offline identity. To do this, the company had to find a new font. But after a long time spent searching, it decided no font was suitable for the new logo.
Undeterred, Airbnb reached out to its in-house foundry to create its very own one. The Dalton Maag foundry also contributed to its creation. Although not many people know this, creating a custom font has become something of a trend in recent years. Companies such as BBC, Netflix, and YouTube all use their very own typeface.
The Airbnb Cereal font belongs to the sans-serif family. Interestingly, it resembles a geometric sans-serif font called LL Brown.
But what does the symbol in front of its name mean? The design studio combined four elements to create this unique symbol. These are people, places, love, and Airbnb. Together, these elements form the Belong Together symbol.
If you don’t understand, don’t worry. The idea is hard to imagine without a representation. But when you look at the symbol, it resembles a person’s head and two touching arms. This stands for the people element. It symbol also looks a bit like the red spot marker used by Google Maps, hence the place aspect.
The love element is quite straightforward – the Belong Together sign resembles an inverted heart. And finally, the symbol also looks a bit like the letter ‘A’, representing Airbnb.
The font’s official color is defined as ‘Rausch’, a unique shade of red. It’s placed against a white background to create an inviting and tender feel. You can also stumble upon versions that invert the two colors – the font is white while the background is ‘Rausch’.
The origin of Airbnb Cereal’s unique name
If you own a business, you’ll know that securing the initial capital is no small feat. The original founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia didn’t have it any easier. To raise some money, they decided to sell cereals. They came up with the idea of Obama O’s and Cap’n McCain cereal. These were repackaged versions of Honey O’s and Quaker Puffs, respectively.
The idea was to use the hype surrounding the 2008 US presidential elections to its full potential. The idea represents the company’s creative problem-solving skills. According to the founders, the decision to name the font Airbnb Cereal came naturally.
What fonts resemble Airbnb Cereal?
Since the Airbnb Cereal font belongs to the company, you can’t use it yourself. But while it used this specific fond to carry out its brand continuity project, it doesn’t mean you have no alternatives.
Here is our list of fonts you can use instead:
Google Fonts
Google offers not one but four fonts that resemble Airbnb Cereal. These are Manrope, Montserrat, Inter, and Nunito Sans.
Manrope is a free sans-serif font developed by Mikhail Sharanda. Though it was released in 2018, it became part of Google Fonts in 2020. It comes in seven weights.
Montserrat is a geometric sans-serif font created by Julieta Ulanovsky, a designer from Argentina. She drew inspiration from a historical Buenos Aires neighborhood while designing it. You can also use Montserrat if you’re looking for a font similar to Proxima Nova and Gotham.
Inter is another sans-serif typeface. Designed by Rasmus Andersson, we recommend using it as a User Interface font. Thanks to its large vertical height, it’s very readable on screen. It features nine weights, all of which are available in italics as well.
And lastly, you can opt for Nunito. This sans-serif font was created by Vernon Adams. Jacques Le Bailly later updated it by adding additional weights as well as a non-rounded terminal version called Nunito Sans.
JetBrains Mono
This open-source font was designed with programmers and developers in mind. Thus, it doesn’t feature any complicated or useless details. Though the font’s characters use a normal width, their lowercase letters are optimized for heights. This helps programmers reach the ideal code line length during rendering.
FAQ On The Font That Airbnb Uses
What Font Does Airbnb Use?
Airbnb’s font is Cereal. It’s not just any typeface; it’s a custom creation designed to encapsulate the values and personality of the brand. Cereal exudes simplicity and warmth, attributes Airbnb stands tall on, aiming to make users feel right at home.
Can You Download the Airbnb Font?
No, you cannot legally download Airbnb’s Cereal font. It is proprietary, crafted exclusively for the brand. There are alternatives that evoke a similar feel, but the exact font is part of Airbnb’s visual identity and is not publicly available for download.
How Does the Airbnb Font Influence Brand Identity?
The Airbnb font, Cereal, is pivotal in its brand identity. Through typography, it instills a sense of trust, welcoming warmth, and modernity.
The font’s user interface typography harmonizes with visuals to tell Airbnb’s story of community and connection in a digital branding universe.
Why Did Airbnb Create Its Own Font?
Airbnb crafted Cereal to have a unique voice in a clamorous market.
A bespoke font ensures consistent brand design elements and exclusivity across platforms, enhancing user experience with distinctiveness that typography in branding often demands for a corporate identity to stand out.
What Are the Characteristics of the Airbnb Font?
The Airbnb font, Cereal, is marked by a clean, sans-serif design with rounded edges that convey friendliness.
These typeface characteristics reflect Airbnb’s accessible yet professional ethos, with a versatile visual communication style adaptable across languages and web typography standards.
How Does Airbnb’s Font Affect User Experience?
Cereal impacts user experience by offering clarity and legibility that facilitate readability in design.
As a web-safe font, it ensures visual communication is seamless across devices, enhancing Airbnb’s interface for diverse users and engraining the typography into the user’s mindset as a symbol of the Airbnb experience.
Has Airbnb’s Font Changed Over Time?
Yes, Airbnb’s font has evolved. Initially, it used more generic typefaces; the creation of Cereal in 2018 marked a significant shift towards a unique, corporate branding strategy, reflecting its maturation and the ever-changing landscape of digital branding tools.
What Impact Does the Font Have on Airbnb’s Visual Identity?
Cereal accentuates Airbnb’s visual identity, encompassing a polished yet approachable vibe that branding guidelines advocate.
This typeface solidifies Airbnb’s narrative, shaping everything from the website to marketing collateral, as a vital cog in the visual identity elements machine.
How Is Airbnb’s Font Tailored for Different Languages?
Cereal was meticulously designed with global typeface compatibility in mind. It integrates various character sets to ensure local SEO and entity relevance.
This universality allows Airbnb’s message to translate across cultures, exemplifying the inclusivity at the heart of its company logo typeface decisions.
What Are Some Alternatives to the Airbnb Font?
Alternatives to Airbnb’s Cereal font could include typefaces like Open Sans or Montserrat—both share similarities in their typeface design.
They uphold a clean, sans-serif aesthetic that resonates with web design principles and can substitute to maintain a look akin to that of Airbnb’s typographic style.
Conclusion
Stepping back, it’s clear that the font that Airbnb uses, affectionately named Cereal, is more than a mere cluster of letters. It’s a cornerstone of personal connection, an invitation into the Airbnb ecosystem, whispering tales of belonging anywhere.
To encapsulate our journey:
- Cereal, a craftsman’s answer to the visual and linguistic puzzles of a global brand.
- A font shaping user experience, with legibility that sings both simplicity and sophistication.
- An integral player in winging Airbnb’s visual identity, taking its ethos beyond borders with typeface compatibility.
Our typographic quest draws to a close, leaving a trace of newfound understanding amid the pixels of your screen. As the curtain falls on the chronicle of Cereal, may your appreciation for the silent power of typography within branding guidelines color your perception of the brands you encounter. And, remember, behind every typeface lies an unspoken narrative waiting to be discovered.
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Bogdan Sandu, a seasoned designer with 15 years of diverse experience, has been designing websites since 2008.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
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