Does your destination have the right logo? A story of circularity versus angularity, destination stereotype, perceived fit, and fluency

Abstract

Although considerable attention has been given to logo colors and typefaces, the focus on the shape of destination logos is still limited. This study aims to address this gap by examining the matching effect between logo shape and destination stereotypes (warm vs. competent) and investigating how this effect influences subsequent tourist responses. Through two logo drawing tasks with four real destinations and two scenario-based experiments with Chinese and American participants respectively (N = 1, 084), the research found that circular logos are better aligned with warm destinations, while angular logos are more suitable for competent destinations, both enhancing tourist responses. Furthermore, perceived fit and processing fluency were found to serially mediate the interaction effect between logo shape and destination stereotype on tourists' responses. These findings provide valuable insights for destination branding and marketing, visual presentations, and communications.