Leaving much to be desired, and already a cautionary tale in marketing<\/a>, this new logo is uninspiring, childish, and highly disassociated with the platform\u2019s user base. Once a symbol of exceptional design, open discussions, and a place for online activism, the Twitter brand is now reduced to the English alphabet\u2019s least positive letter.<\/p>\n The new logo looks like it belongs to a graffitied wall from a dystopian land that\u2019s been ravaged by machines.<\/p>\n While this rebrand may have shocked everyone (us included), in retrospect it was always coming. And we talk about it later in the article. Right now, as we reminisce about Twitter and its glorious history, let\u2019s start with some fun facts.<\/p>\n Did you know?<\/strong><\/p>\n While the legacy of Twitter will become the topic of case studies, research papers, and cultural discussions, today, we just focus on the visual evolution of Twitter’s logo and what it symbolizes for its legacy.<\/p>\n Back when Twitter was twttr \u2014 albeit for a short while \u2014 it also had a strange-looking logo. It resembled pipes, had splash-like effects at the end of the wordmark, and the letters in the logo had water droplets on them. It also had light effects and was in the reed-green color.<\/p>\n (If you feel put off by this green display, take heart \u2014 explore our hand-picked green color shades<\/a> to restore your faith in the hue.)<\/p>\n I cannot think of what they were thinking with all the water imagery in the logo but the result, as you can see, was anticlimactic. It looks more suitable for a plumbing company or a company that deals with sewerage cleaning than a social media service.<\/p>\n The logo and the intended brand name were quickly scrapped, however, and we never had to see them again. But there you have it. The original Twitter logo and name. Humble beginnings indeed.<\/p>\n Welcome to Twitter\u2019s first official logo \u2014 and the brand name. The vowels were back and so was the design sense. The new logo, though it looks a bit childish now \u2014 was on par with times with its imposed lettering and a bubble-like white outline.<\/p>\n The wordmark logo<\/a> also used rounded letters in a bubblegum font to tell us that it was a platform where things were casual, open, and friendly. The sky-blue color became Twitter\u2019s signature color and, having psychological associations of being a calming and trustworthy color<\/a>, evolved to become a symbol of open dialogue, free thought, and fluid communication.<\/p>\n This new Twitter logo was designed by Linda Gavin<\/a>, a graphic designer with the company that was redesigning the Twitter brand and website. Linda came up with almost 20 suggestions for the logo, and Twitter co-founder, Noah Glass, chose the sky-blue bubblegum variation.<\/p>\n This design will stay with the brand for the next several years, till 2010.<\/p>\n The first time we saw a bird with the Twitter logo was in 2010. Officially named, Larry the Bird (after Larry Bird, the NBA player), it was a cute icon, had a tuft of hair on its head, and its wings were poised for flight! As a mascot logo, it humanized Twitter<\/a> like never before.<\/p>\n Everyone immediately fell in love with the bird because the concept of \u2018tweets\u2019 was initially derived from the chirpy sounds birds make when they communicate\u2014short bursts of thoughts, with a quick back and forth.<\/p>\n The story goes<\/a> that Larry the Bird was inspired by a simple bird graphic that a Twitter employee had stumbled upon on a stock image website and had bought for $25 in 2006. Since stock images cannot be used as official business logos and also because, in its current form, the slender bird icon wasn\u2019t doing much for the brand vision, the graphic was simplified.<\/p>\n The wordmark logo was also made more readable<\/a> and simpler by removing the white outline.<\/p>\n By 2012, with the Twitter Bird becoming more and more synonymous with the brand, Twitter knew that it was time for the wordmark to go.<\/p>\n The brand name was removed from the official logo and the bird was told to soar as far as it can go.<\/p>\n Though a tiny bird, it was a strong symbol<\/a> that carried the Twitter brand extremely well and for many Twitteraris worldwide, was a symbol of free speech, hope, and progress.<\/p>\n Design-wise, it was much different than before. Whereas Larry the Bird was about to leap into the air, the Twitter Bird was already soaring high. Its head was up, wings and tail outward as it sailed through the air.<\/p>\n The new symbolism talked of a brand that was successful, confident, and ready to take on more.<\/p>\n In July 2023, Elon Musk announced to the world that Twitter is no more.<\/p>\n He introduced X (literally the letter) as the brand\u2019s new name and even chose a user-submitted logo as the brand\u2019s new sign.<\/p>\n Though the rebrand has come as a shock to many, in retrospect it was always coming. Logically, you should always get a new logo<\/a> when you\u2019re renaming the brand. But even without that, the Twitter Rebranding<\/a> was always an eventuality.<\/p>\n Reason 1: <\/strong>Elon Musk has never given us any indication that he loves Twitter – he always talked about the things he doesn\u2019t like about it and how he\u2019d change them. So his finally changing the brand name and the logo was a done deal.<\/p>\n Reason 2: <\/strong>He has a weird obsession with the letter X. It pops up in everything he creates: his companies (SpaceX), cars (Tesla Model X), and even his child (X \u00c6 A-Xii).<\/p>\n As far as the new X logo is concerned, we think The Atlantic\u2019s Ian Bogost isn\u2019t too far off the mark when he calls it juvenile and creepy<\/a>. He also called it other things but we\u2019re being nice today.<\/p>\n As we wrap up the discussion today, my question about the rebrand is different:<\/p>\n Why would you name your company a letter that a sane person would think twice before googling? Unless they\u2019re looking for trouble.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s just my take. Sound off yours in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Twitter is now X. The rebrand is accompanied by a logo that\u2019s hilariously and chaotically bad. Leaving much to be desired, and already a cautionary tale in marketing, this new logo is uninspiring, childish, and highly disassociated with the platform\u2019s … Continue reading ![\"Twitter](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Twitter-logo.gif\" "\\"Twitter"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n\n
The Twitter Logo Over the Years<\/h2>\n
2005-2006: It started as a weird slimy green thing<\/h2>\n
![\"twitter](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/twitter-logo-1.jpg\" "\\"twitter"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n2006-2010: Sky blue makes an entrance as the brand\u2019s signature hue<\/h2>\n
![\"twitter](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/twitter-logo-2.jpg\" "\\"twitter"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n2010-2012: Larry the Bird was introduced<\/h2>\n
![\"twitter](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/twitter-logo-3.jpg\" "\\"twitter"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n2012-2023: Twitter\u2019s Blue Bird era<\/h2>\n
![\"twitter](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/twitter-logo-4.jpg\" "\\"twitter"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n2023-Present: X-ing the bird and the brand<\/h2>\n
![\"twitter](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/twitter-logo-5.jpg\" "\\"twitter"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\nThe Takeaway<\/h2>\n