Ragged Edge rebrands hosting company Airsorted as Houst

London-based branding agency Ragged Edge has developed a new name and brand identity for professional hosting company Houst. Formerly called Airsorted, the company helps property owners to rent out their homes by taking care of logistics such as cleaning, laundry and bookings.

The company was founded in 2015 to assist Airbnb hosts, but as it has now expanded to manage properties through other platforms (like Booking.com and Expedia), it was keen to shake the “air” association. As you’ve probably guessed, the new name Houst combines the words “house” and “host”.

The new identity centres around a “bold and authoritative” wordmark featuring rounded letterforms and a bright yellow and black colour palette that’s unusual for the category. “The existing logo featured a key symbol that felt like it lived in Airbnb’s world,” Ragged Edge co-founder Max Ottignon tells It’s Nice That. “For the new identity, we wanted to stand apart so we leant into the new name, avoiding anything descriptive in favour of a logotype that could evoke both authority and warmth.” The type was developed bespoke for the project. “That sense of uniqueness felt important for the brand at this stage in its journey,” Ottignon adds.

The visual identity also features a set of graphic shapes inspired by floorplans. These can hold aspirational imagery of people travelling or enjoying time outdoors, in an attempt to focus on the fun things renting out your flat can entail rather than the drier logistical side. “We wanted to try to build an emotional connection, conveying the opportunities Houst opens up for its hosts,” says Ottignon. “It also meant moving away from the functional conventions of the competition – ‘hassle-free’, for example, was out.”

In terms of the colour palette, Ragged Edge was keen to cut through the conservatism of the sector with a bold hue. “We looked at a bright green, but the yellow just felt more of a statement,” says Ottignon. “It combined sunny optimism with a sense of urgency.” The choice was not without its challenges. Ottignon says: “What’s interesting about yellow is that it’s hard to get it to work for digital brands. You need to go all in or not at all. So we went for it.”