Brace yourself... for the KAYAK logo!
When people think about finding the best travel deal, they think KAYAK. With the KAYAK logo,
we wanted to extend this principle of association even further. We want our users to see the KAYAK logo and think “KAYAK”, as opposed to thinking "What website am I on?" or "Why am I on the Internet?". Leveraging the power of literacy and big letters, we feel confident that we have achieved this goal.
The design of the KAYAK logo is based off of split-flap display boards, or as we like to call them – flippies. Flippies are those clackity boards with spinning letters that tell you if your train is running on time. But unlike the famous flippies in Grand Central Terminal, this logo won't flip, no matter how long you stare at it (and believe us, we've stared at it for a long time, nearly setting the record for longest time spent staring at a logo). Although our logo doesn't spin, it does incorporate numerous other design elements, such as the use of the color orange,
and capital letters. Our logo uses only the finest quality colors, letters and shapes because we believe that the finest quality logos come from the finest quality ingredients, pure and simple. With a splash of Pantone orange and a bold Brauer Neue font, the KAYAK logo is sleek and travel search ready.
The KAYAK logo also has a rich and surprising history. You see, Aratus of Sicyon ( 271 BC - 213 BC ) originally pioneered this shape and design. Legend has it that the Achaean League, after the deposition of the tyrant Nicocles in 251 BC, needed an icon in which to unite under. The original emblem, which featured a large water dwelling mammal sitting next to a flaming cactus, was declared "off-brand". A number of the other members, namely Philip V of Macedon, wanted something that was not only more "fresh", but was more in keeping with what one would expect for a union of city-states. Thus, Aratus became an early graphics design pioneer and crafted a logo with dream-like colors and the words, which would later be translated to, "Ancient Greek City States". This original logo has been lost over time, but it is rumored to have been used for at least a hundred years, around the time the Roman influence began to dominate the region.
This is the official KAYAK logo. Don't be fooled by imitators (or companies that actually sell kayaks).
Here are some professional tips for recognizing if the logo you are viewing is the real deal:
- It will look identical to one of the logos on this page.
- It will not contain a paddle. It's not like we have anything against paddles (as a means of transportation or otherwise), they just aren't our thing.
The “Big K”
If you like the KAYAK logo, but think it has too many letters, then the "Big K" logo was designed with
you in mind. With 83% less letters, this version of the logo has all of the travel site prowess with
less of the verbiage. It also makes for a pretty spiffy icon, as anyone who has used our mobile products can attest to.
