Yelp Rebrand — Leni Gao

motion design + illustration

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About

Yelp Rebrand

2025, brand identity & strategy, graphic design, 2D motion design, illustration

Yelp is a platform that publishes reviews about local businesses. As more social media platforms are created and more online tools are developed, there is a lack of usage on the platform.

My rebranding for Yelp is to increase social media features, redesign to attract more younger users, and create a space that fosters trust through sharing memories between individuals and local businesses.

Background: The Pain

Research shows that Yelp has relatively strong brand awareness in the United States (67% among social media users), but substantially lower levels of popularity (10%), usage (10%), loyalty (7%), and social buzz (9%). This gap suggests that while many people recognize the Yelp brand, it is not integrated into their everyday habits or sustained use.

In the United Kingdom, Yelp’s presence is significantly weaker across all measured metrics. While some awareness of Yelp exists, it does not translate into meaningful engagement or loyalty.

When compared with major social platforms, Yelp ranks only mid-tier in brand awareness in the United States (10th out of 20 platforms, with 69% awareness) and near the bottom in the United Kingdom (17th out of 20 platforms, with just 28% awareness). Overall, the data shows that although awareness is Yelp’s strongest metric, it remains insufficient when placed within the broader social and discovery ecosystem.
Statista. "Leading Social Networks Ranked by Brand Awareness in The United States in 2024." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Dec 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307244/most-well-known-social-networks-in-the-united-states/

Statista. "Leading Social Networks Ranked by Brand Awareness in The United Kingdom in 2024." Statista, Statista Inc., 4 Dec 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1309958/most-well-known-social-networks-in-the-uk/

New Logo

To emphasize on connectivity, the new wordmark is designed with a cursive font that captures the friendliness of the community, while the first stroke of letter “y” remains sharp, representing that all opinions are welcomed, including bold and sharp ones.

Logo clearspace

Logo intro

Logo outro

Color Palette

The new color palette for Yelp is designed with off-white, warm black, and a bright, friendly yellow. I chose yellow as the accent color not only because it’s more energetic and welcoming, but also because the origin of the name Yelp was inspired by the “yellow pages” (and also that it’s familiar with “help”).

Design Elements

The new identity has a friendlier color palette and graphic illustrations that are fun and welcoming. I designed a mascot to make users feel more connected, along with the tagline, “What’s good?” A more prominent social media presence is displayed on the app. The identity is conveyed through colors, characters, icons, the website and app, promotional posters, and a motion montage.

Tagline and Typography

I came up with the new tagline, “What’s good?” It’s not only the question people specifically ask on Yelp; it's short, clear, and conversational, captures the essence of Gen-Z.

Website and Social Media

The main strategy and focus of this rebrand is to strengthen the social media features on Yelp. Everyone uses social media nowadays, and I believe a stronger social media presence could allow its users to feel more attached to Yelp.

Index

Say hi!