In a surprising move, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Twitter’s Chief Executive Officer, Linda Yaccarino, jointly revealed a fresh new logo for the popular social media platform on Monday. The revamped logo features a white “X” against a sleek black background, marking a departure from the traditional blue bird symbol that has been synonymous with Twitter for years.
“X is here! Let’s do this,” tweeted Yaccarino, proudly displaying the new logo projected on Twitter’s San Francisco offices. Both Musk and Yaccarino have already adopted the “X” logo on their own Twitter handles, though the classic blue bird still remains visible across the platform.
However, not everyone is thrilled with the bold change. “#GoodbyeTwitter” quickly trended on the platform, as numerous users criticized the new logo and expressed nostalgia for the familiar blue bird symbol.
Lights. Camera. X! pic.twitter.com/K9Ou47Qb4R
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) July 24, 2023
The logo transformation came after Musk conducted a Twitter poll, asking his millions of followers whether they favored a change in Twitter’s color scheme from blue to black. He teased the concept with a stylized “X” against a black, space-themed background, referring to it as the “interim X logo.” Musk hinted at a gradual phasing out of the Twitter brand and its association with birds, but did not provide further details.
Originally designed in 2012 by a team of three, the classic Twitter logo was praised for its simplicity, balance, and legibility, particularly at small sizes. Martin Grasser, one of the designers, described it as resembling a lowercase “e.”
Musk’s interest in Twitter goes beyond the logo change. He acquired the platform last year with ambitious plans to create an all-encompassing “everything app” named “X.” In 2017, Musk repurchased the domain x.com from PayPal, stating its “sentimental value.” The domain holds significance as Musk co-founded x.com in 1999 as an online bank, which eventually evolved into PayPal.
As the official Twitter page on the platform was renamed “X,” Yaccarino took the opportunity to emphasize the platform’s future trajectory. She described “X” as a state of unlimited interactivity, centered around audio, video, messaging, and payments/banking. Her vision involves creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.
The leadership change at Twitter, with Yaccarino taking over as CEO on June 5, coincides with the platform’s efforts to reverse a decline in advertising revenue. Since the acquisition by Musk, Twitter has faced challenges, including layoffs and a significant drop in advertisers, while contending with the growing popularity of Meta’s Threads, a direct competitor to Twitter.
As the “X” logo takes its place on the platform, the world awaits to see how Twitter’s transformation unfolds and whether its ambitious aspirations under Musk’s guidance will prove successful. The future of the social media giant remains uncertain, but one thing is for sure: the logo change is just the beginning of what could be a defining era for Twitter and its community of users.