HC Brand Guidelines

A guide to getting it right.

Contents.

Our Brand

Our Logo

Fonts

04

Our story

15

Brand architecture

31

Primary font family

05

Our values

16

Which logo do I use?

32

International & webfonts

06

Tone of voice

18

Our tagline

33

Typography style & hierarchy

08

Our tool

19

Colour variations

Graphic Elements

10

Meet Max

20

Logo clear space

35

The frown line

11

When can you use Max?

21

Logo placement

36

Directing a response

22

Logo sizing

37

Call to action

23

Incorrect logo usage

39

Image style

24

Correct wordmark usage

Putting It All Together

25

Co-branding

40

Colour 27

Colour Palettes

29

Colour use

Best practices

Let us introduce our brand...

Our story.

Booking accommodation online isn’t easy, but it should be. It’s a fractured experience. Having to trawl a hundred websites looking through a thousand ‘deals’. The choice can be overwhelming, confusing and complicated. How do you know what a good ‘deal’ is anyway?

We’ve levelled the playing field. Presenting all possible options in one place, making it straightforward and fast to make a rational decision.

We’re ambitious about what we can achieve. We’ve grown up as a business, but we’ve not changed how we work.

We’re obsessed with technology and we’re always looking to improve what we do.

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“

Whether it’s products or communications, maximisation is our mantra.

“

We were so frustrated with the process that we saw an opportunity to do something about it. We took an informed risk and started our own business. Years later – with millions of bookings under our belt – we still have the same vision. To help people get the most from their booking.

Our values.

We zero in.

We respect logic.

We focus only on what really matters to our users, our partners and ourselves. We are driven by finding simple solutions in the most complex situations. It’s this energy and attention to detail that makes the difference. We get the most out of whatever we are doing. And our users and partners get absolute clarity in the moment where it really counts for them.

We run on logic, it’s in our DNA. We use data and evidence to explore options and guide decisions. We judge our ideas and initiatives based on merit. We share these insights and our rational way of working with our users and partners. So they can make logical decisions, every time.

• We work with purpose and extreme focus • We aim to find simple solutions to complex problems • We make every interaction with our users as clear and straight-forward as possible

• Use evidence to guide decision-making • We judge ideas and initiatives on merit • We help users understand the data behind their options so they can make a logical decision

We prefer action.

We’re united through an obsession to continuously improve.

We act fast and learn along the way. We take risks and aren’t afraid to try new things. We trust our instinct and take the leaps that turn the unknown into opportunities. We’ll know we’re on the right track when our users trust us to get the most out of their accommodation decisions.

• We support our people to keep learning, trust their intuition and take initiative • We help users feel confident that they’ve got the most out of their booking A GUIDE TO GETTING IT RIGHT | 5

Tone of voice. How we sound. What we say.

We only say what’s really important. Our tone of voice means we don’t sound anything like our competitors and we always give our users what they really want.

We have three principles guiding our voice. We use these principles to create and change our tone. Dial up and dial down our principles depending on where – and who – we’re talking to. For example, if we need to be serious in partner communications we may dial down ‘wry’.

Direct.

Informative.

Wry.

Life’s getting faster and more complicated, so we help people get the most out of their accommodation bookings by keeping things straight to the point. We believe less is more.

We act as a filter – giving people the right information they need to make a better booking. We always know who we’re speaking to and what they need. We do the hard work, analysing thousand of sites so customers are presented with the right information for them.

Our industry is overhyped by sunsets and infinity pools, distracting us by selling the irrational. We deal in the rational. We are the antidote to the industry. Because we know this industry inside out, our role is to keep people focused on making the right decisions. We tackle the industry cliches head on, mock the status quo and use dry humour to rally against the wrongs.

We speak with purpose. If something’s good – we’ll say so. If it’s not, we’ll suggest something better. This forthright attitude and outspoken personality means we’re always telling it like it is. We don’t waste time.

We’re direct is how we deliver our communication.

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From hacks to hints, our communication is always insightful and engaging. We’re informative is about what we deliver.

Wry is how we describe our unique humour. It’s a combination of cynicism towards the industry and optimism for a better booking experience. It’s the attitude in our communications.

Tone of voice. Practical Tips.

These are some practical tips to put the principles in practice.

Direct.

Informative.

Wry.

• Use short, sharp language and sentences to give energy and pace to your writing.

• Use contractions in your language to cut down copy and be more personal.

• Make information easily digestible by pulling out headings and organising it into parts that are clear and easy to understand.

• Be specific.

• Be honest and upfront.

• Ask yourself ‘does the customer need to know this?’

• Write in the first person.

• Don’t assume your audience knows, explain things clearly.

• Providing inside information backed by evidence that is relevant to the particular audience.

• Offer hacks and hints wherever you can.

• Use ‘how to’s’ and ‘did you know’s’ to inform.

• Share insightful stories, be educational, talk about the process of how HotelsCombined works and why it is different.

• Help people gain a deeper understanding of the booking process, and how it benefits them.

• Use witty, smart and dry humour.

• Point out irrational behaviours and provide rational solutions.

• Employ question and answer techniques and rhetorical questions to highlight problems with the booking category while offering viable solutions.

• Turn negatives into positives.

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Our tool.

Our customer interactions are intentionally short, so we need a tool to maximise our brand experience. This will help customers remember us, trust what we offer and come back time and time again. We needed a universal symbol that would have global appeal, and link back to getting a good nights sleep. We’ve picked a teddy bear.

A universal sleeping companion. Trusted. Endearing. He helps us build a personal connection with our audience.

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Max helps us build a personal connection with our audience.

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Meet Max. Max stands for maximisation.

Max, stands for maximisation. We use him to prompt the customer through the booking process. He represents gut instinct. He enables us to use direct language, and spark action.

Max is a teddy bear with attitude. He works tirelessly, constantly looking for the best accommodation options online. He works hard, so our customers don’t have to.

Max just wants to point out what’s important – as soon as he can. He doesn’t mince his words, and he isn’t working for fun. He’s serious, focused and at times even a little bit grizzly. Use him to get the most out of our customers.

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Max is.

• • • •

Dry Humored Logical, guided by evidence Opportunistic Empathetic with customers

Max is not.

• • • • •

Aggressive Insulting Perverted Mean In the habit of making customers feel stupid

When can you use Max?

It’s great that you’re as excited about Max as we are, but there are a few rules to remember when using Max in your creative. Remember, Max should always be used sparingly. He’s not designed for decoration; he must always serve a purpose. Use him to make your communications more memorable. Make sure he’s active, points out opportunities, or helps direct customers to the next stage in the booking process.

Max can be used to...

Max should never be used in a way that is not reflective of brand guidelines.

Direct a customer through an experience

Express an emotion (empathise with customer)

To promote a specific product or tool A GUIDE TO GETTING IT RIGHT | 11

When can you use Max? Max can’t be used...

If he isn’t serving a purpose or being proactive

If he’s out of place or context 12 | A GUIDE TO GETTING IT RIGHT

To fill a space or empty void in advertising

When can you use Max? You should NEVER...

Use Max in co-branded advertising

Alter Max’s appearance

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Our logo

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Brand architecture. We’re known by different names around the world, but we look the same.

COMPANY

B2C

PRODUCTS

PARNTERSHIP

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Which logo do I use?

Our logo is made up of a symbol and our wordmark that has been designed to fit and scale according to each format.

Scale and proportion should be determined by the available spaces, aesthetics, function and visibility.

Only use the HotelsCombined logo as follows. Follow the rules in this manual to achieve proper usage of the logo.

The logo may be used in four different lock-ups: - Primary (Horizontal) - Secondary (Stacked) - URL - Max Symbol

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Primary (Horizontal) The Horizontal logo is the preferred lock-up and should be used in all communications from HotelsCombined as it provides the strongest name recognition.

Secondary, Stacked

Symbol Only

A stacked version has been developed to address potential reproduction issues. The stacked logo can only be used when space is limited or where the content justifies its use.

Unlike the other available logo formats, the Max Symbol may only be used online in the appropriate context. The Max Symbol should never appear on its own in print without our wordmark. The only exception to this rule is when it is depicted in the context of their screen based usages - for example, the App icon on a mobile phone screen.

URL Logo The URL logo is for offline use only. This includes for print, merchandise, TV commercials and any other platform where the user is not already online.

The Max symbol may only be used online where the brand name has already been qualified or is easily recognisable – for example App icons, social media profile images and favicons.

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Our tagline.

Our tagline is ‘Get the most from your booking’.

Use it with the logo when required to sign off your communications with a strong call to action.

Ideally the tagline lock-up should not be modified - the tagline should always be proportionate to the logo and left aligned underneath the Max icon and an ‘ears’ width beneath the logo.

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Colour variations.

If the production method allows, the full colour logo is always the preferred option in all applications.

The greyscale version distinguishes parts of the logo by using contrasting grey tones and should only be selected for offline reproduction when full colour reproduction is impractical due to print method or other constraints.

PLEASE NOTE: The one colour black and reverse signatures are for use ONLY when colour or greyscale reproduction is fully unavailable.

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Logo clear space.

In order to maintain the integrity of the logo, it is important that no other logos, type or graphical elements infringe on its space.

We created our own unit of measurement to calculate clear space – the ‘ear’ - the clear space must be a minimum area of isolation around the logo equal to the Max’s ear in the logo. As the size of the logo increases, the isolation zone increases.

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Logo placement.

Placement of the logo is extremely important to the visual identity of the brand, thus it is important that the logo is not placed in areas that infringe on other graphical elements.

The preferred location for the Primary, horizontal logo is on the bottom left, or bottom-centre of printed or online media.

Left-bottom position of the logo

Centre-bottom position of the logo

The Secondary, stacked logo should only be left aligned to the bottom of the media.

Left-bottom position of the logo

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Logo sizing.

A minimum size has been set for the different versions of the logo in order to assure successful reproduction.

We’ve determined our minimum size by the symbol. If sized too small, our logo risks going unnoticed or being illegible so we’ve designed it to go as little as 16px width or 5mm in width.

PIXELS

16px

180px

64px

MILLIMETRES 5mm

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55mm

20mm

Incorrect logo usage.

The HotelsCombined logo should only be reproduced using files provided by HotelsCombined.

At the right are examples of unacceptable logo manipulation.

01 Typeface and colour

02 Logo angle

Never change the typeface or colours of the logo

Do not rotate the logo

03 Elements

04 Effects

Never rearrange the elements of the logo

Never add any effects to the logo

05 Distorting

06 Background

Do not compress, extend or distort the logo

Never place a logo on a background that challenges legibility

01

02

03

04

05

06

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Correct wordmark usage.

HotelsCombined is one word. When writing our name, always remember to capatalise the H and the C.

HotelsCombined Always like this.

NOTE: Our logo is made up both a symbol and our wordmark, remember to always use them together.

Hotelscombined Never like this.

hotelscombined Don’t go there.

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Co-branding.

We’ve developed a standard logo lockup for our partnerships. Which logo appears first in the lockup will depend on the context – where, how and who is distributing the media.

HORIZONTAL

Co-branding Consists of: • HotelsCombined logo and our partners logo next to each other, separated by a 1-pt stroke divider using grey (RGB: 144 164 174) from our colour palette • The vertical stroke should be the height HotelsCombined logo and vertically aligned to the last letter. The horizontal line should be the full length of the HotelsCombined logo • Neither brand logo may include a tagline or other promotional element.

• The sizing and spacing will remain the same no matter which brand appears first. As a general rule, the partner logo should look visually balance with the HotelsCombined logo.

STACKED

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Colours

Primary colour palette.

We use colour to get noticced and give us personality.

Our colours are bright and bold to really help us stand out.

The primary palette should be used as a first-line solution when making colour decisions.

HEX: #00AEF0 RGB: 0 174 240 CMYK: 69 14 0 0

HEX: #2C4162 RGB: 44 65 98 CMYK: 90 75 38 26

HC Next Blue

HC Navy Blue

Blues. These HotelsCombined blues are always used as part of our logos and core colour palette.

HEX: #39B54A RGB: 66 189 92 CMYK: 71 0 87 0

HEX: #FFC000 RGB: 25 5 192 CMYK: 0 26 100 0

HC Green

HC Yellow

Highlights. These colours should be used on Calls to Action and buttons anywhere you need to draw attention.

HEX: #CFD8DC RGB: 207 216 220 CMYK: 18 19 10 0

HEX: #90A4AE RGB: 144 164 174 CMYK: 46 28 26 0

HC Grey

HC Steel Grey

Shading. These colours should be used when you need to differentiate between sections of content or backgrounds.

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They should only be used when you have multiple elements in your design that need differentiating landing pages, emails and shading.

They should not be used outside of specified uses in advertising.

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HEX: #CBEFFD RGB: 203 239 253 CMYK: 18 0 0 0

HEX: #008AC0 RGB: 0 138 192 CMYK: 82 34 7 0

HEX: #92DEFB RGB: 146 222 251 CMYK: 37 0 0 0

HEX: #0C5716 RGB: 1 104 29 CMYK: 89 33 100 27

HEX: #2E913B RGB: 46 145 59 CMYK: 82 19 100 5

HEX: #EE552F RGB: 238 85 47 CMYK: 1 82 92 0

HEX: #FF9700 RGB: 255 151 0 CMYK: 0 48 100 0

HEX: #FFEB00 RGB: 255 235 01 CMYK: 3 2 98 0

HEX: #263238 RGB: 38 50 56 CMYK: 80 65 58 56

HEX: #455A64 RGB: 69 90 100 CMYK: 75 55 47 24

HEX: #E8ECEF RGB: 232 236 239 CMYK: 8 4 3 0

HEX: #000000 RGB: 0 0 0 CMYK: 100 100 100 100

HEX: #FFFFFF RGB: 255 255 255 CMYK: 0 0 0 0

#92DEFB

These colours have been carfeully selected to compliment our primary brand colours.

Secondary Colours

rgba(147,222,252,1)

Secondary colour palette.

HEX: #EAF9FE RGB: 234 249 354 CMYK: 7 0 0 0

HEX: #ECEFF1 RGB: 236 239 241 CMYK: 6 3 3 0

Colour use.

While there is lots of variety in the primary colour pallette, you may need to use a secondary colour to highlight a key graphic or message within your communications.

Before mixing the palettes, first make sure you are taking advantage of the primary palette as much as possible.

Do not overuse the secondary palette in your communications. Try to limit the colours used in any one application. Overuse of our colours will add complexity to our communications - Remember to keep it simple!

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Fonts

ABCDEFGrrr...

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Primary font family.

Brezel Grotesk Brezel Grotesk has been specially selected as our primary font. It is an unpretentious typeface with a human touch. Along with its unpretentious typestyle, Brezel Grotesk has organic shapes and distinctive terminals that are legible at smaller point sizes, yet remarkable when enlarged.

Brezel Grotesk Bold is the preferred weight in most applications. When setting text in a layout, you may use other weights and styles of Brezel Grotesk for emphasis or variety – however, it is important to establish a clear hierarchy within the text.

Please note, Brezel Grotesk should not be used for body text.

Aa ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz (.,;:?!$&@”’) 0123456789

.

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International & web fonts.

Noto Sans

Helvetica

Because HotelsCombined are a global company, we have sourced an alternate primary font that has a high level of accessibility across our localised markets. Noto Sans has been designed with the goal of achieving visual harmony across multiple languages.

Helvetica is to be used as the web-friendly universal typeface for plain text on web pages and eDMs where Noto Sans and Brezel Grotesk will not be available.

Noto Sans is the typeface to use on all documents as body text or if Brezel Grotesk is unavailable in your chosen language.

Aa Aa ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz (.,;:?!$&@”’) 0123456789

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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz (.,;:?!$&@”’) 0123456789

Typography style & hierarchy.

Headings Brezel Grotesk Bold

Use Brezel Grotesk Bold for character and energy!

Subheadings Brezel Grotesk Medium or Regular

Use Brezel Grotesk Medium or Regular for unpretentious personality.

Body Copy Noto Sans

Small copy and paragraph copy use Noto Sans.

This font is simple, modern and straight to the point.

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Graphic Elements

The frown line.

As you know, Max is focused and serious and he has a seriously furrowed brow from working so hard. We’ve taken this and turned it into a key brand element - a directional arrow derived from Max’s frown line.

Using the frown as a design device prompts and redirects users throughout the navigation.

Max’s frown line...

...used as a visual element...

A GUIDE TO GETTING IT RIGHT | 35

Directing a response.

Max’s frown line can be used vertically or horizontally as shown on the right Prompting and redirecting users through the process and towards an action.

DIRECTING TOP TO BOTTOM

1 2 GO Action DIRECTING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT

1

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2

GO

Action

Call to action. The button.

The call to action (or button) on our advertising should stand out and work harmoniously with the colour or image.

The button should have a consistent corner radius and messaging that relates to the content.

Correct Download Now

Download Now

Square

4px corner radius

Incorrect Download Now

Download Now

Dropshadow

Rounded button in a colour that is not on brand

Colour Use Download Now

Download Now

HotelsCombined navy is the best option for blue backgrounds

HotelsCombined orange is another option for blue backgrounds

Download Now

Download Now

HotelsCombined green should NEVER sit on HotelsCombined blue

HotelsCombined yellow should NEVER sit on HotelsCombined blue A GUIDE TO GETTING IT RIGHT | 37

Using imagery

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Image style.

The images we use speak volumes about who we are and should reflect the brand. They are a key visual element that we can use to support messages to our audience. Images used should always be purposeful and clearly used to support our messages.

There are certain types of images we will try to avoid.

These include typical stock photos that feel staged.

Try to avoid images that are clichÊd or obvious – they should capture a natural and uncontrived moment.

Simple

When choosing images, look for visuals that are contemporary and engaging, adding life to the overall message. Try following these simple rules: 1. Images should be simple.

Simplicity is the key to letting our brand shine. Think open spaces and big skies

Inspirational

2. Images should be inspirational.

Choose images that are uplifting and engaging. Do they create an emotional connection with the user?

3. Images should be cohesive.

Be careful when selecting your images to ensure they are tonally cohesive and in harmony with our colour palette.

Tonally Cohesive A GUIDE TO GETTING IT RIGHT | 39

Best practices.

Outdoor.

Outdoor.

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Outdoor.

Best practices.

Destination.

Display.

Mobile.

Mobile.

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