Travelocity Redesigns, Adopts New Logo

The company, a division of Sabre Holdings , will introduce a less cluttered site. Fewer elements appear on the home page, and colors are more subdued. The change comes in response to findings that consumers view online travel sites as too visually crowded.

The new logo, dubbed “guiding stars,” uses a lower case sans-serif font and three abstract star images. On the site, the lettering appears in white against a blue background. The stars are orange, light blue, and white. The logo was the brainchild of Paris-based Desgrippes Gobe, Travelocity’s branding agency.

“Stars are the traveler’s natural compass,” said Jeff Glueck, chief marketing officer for Travelocity.

The aim of the new low-key look is to soothe, calm, and evoke a feeling of trust, at a time when Travelocity found users overwhelmed with too many offers and features on online travel sites.

The company has also increased the download speed of the site, it said, so the home page loads nearly twice as fast as before. The new site features drop-down navigation on every page, so users can easily access the information they seek. Travelocity is also featuring more personal information on the home page for registered users.

“From the colors chosen to the content organization to specific word choices, we examined every aspect of the site,” said Troy Whitsett, director of customer experience and interactive design for Travelocity. “Each decision was a step toward creating an inspirational and rewarding experience with Travelocity, where customers feel invited in and want to stay.”

In terms of traffic numbers, there’s good reason for Travelocity to make changes. It ranks fourth among travel sites, according to comScore Media Metrix’ figures for February. Expedia is ranked first, with 15 million unique monthly visitors; Orbitz receives 14 million unique monthly visitors; Cendant’s Trip Network is next with 11.6 million uniques; while Travelocity brings in only 11.4 million.