Twitter Rebrand: Flying Away From Logotype

Twitter recently released their new branding, which they have taken in a bold, new direction – losing the logotype. The new Twitter logo is a newly stylized bird that appears to be flying upward. Their new bird is a gentle evolution from the previous, subtly showing a new brand without jumping so suddenly that brand recognition is lost. We are still able to recognize our Twitter bird – he just has a new personality and has apparently smoothed down the tufted feathers atop his head. We were impressed with Twitter’s new branding approach for several reasons.

1. They are making the vector files available to the public

This is a lovely decision Twitter has made, making their new logo files easy to access right from their website.  So often we are forced to go onto sites like Brand of the World or recreate the logo when we are in need of a vector file. Now, Twitter is making it easy for people to download the correct version of their logo. This is not only nifty and saves us some time, but it helps retain brand consistency, which brings me to my next thought.

2. They have published their brand guidelines for the public

Brand guidelines are often created by the designer to ensure that the logo is used consistently in order to convey a unified image of the entity it represents. If logos are manipulated and used improperly (stretched, rearranged, recolored; etc) it damages the brand. Designers have so much more in mind with branding beyond the creation of the logo. They express these ideas in brand guidelines. The designer has already explored different options as to the placement, usage, and color of the logo and has found what works and what doesn’t work as well. Brand guidelines are created to make everyone’s job easier and keep the brand consistent.

3. They boldly shed the logotype

Losing the logotype is a bold move, but we think that Twitter  is ready for it. They have become as well-known as facebook at this point. Twitter has 140 million monthly active users producing 400 million Tweets daily. They are a staple social media site. As bold and risky of a move as it may be, losing the logotype puts Twitter in the special class of logos so iconic that they don’t need type anymore. Several big companies have shed their logotype over the years with great success. Bet you can name every company logo below without so much as a bat of an eye. Are we right?

So how should we commemorate the big rebrand? Easy! Take the few minutes when you have the chance (we’re still working on that as we speak) to update any Twitter icons you may have on any blogs, websites, or printed material. Go check out their brand guidelines and give the courtesy of respecting the guidelines. And don’t forget to keep on Tweeting (with a capital “T”)!