What you need to know
- Twitter's logo has been rebranded.
- The new X logo has already been applied to the web app.
- Multiple users have indicated that the new logo is reminiscent of other X logos like the X Windows logo, a replica of the x glyph from Special Alphabets 4, and more.
- Elon intends to phase out the Twitter brand gradually.
The bird app has undergone a ton of changes in the recent past, more so after Elon Musk's $44 billion takeover late last year. Most of these changes have received a lot of backlash from users, causing them to seek alternatives like Mastodon and even Meta's Twitter-like platform, Threads.
Elon's latest change on Twitter features a new logo (X) replacing the blue bird symbol. He recently announced that x.com would direct users to twitter.com.
https://t.co/bOUOek5Cvy now points to https://t.co/AYBszklpkE. Interim X logo goes live later today.July 23, 2023
The change has been received with a spur of mixed feelings. Unsurprisingly, most users aren't for the rebrand, citing their preference for the old blue bird logo over the new X logo. Multiple users have indicated that the rebrand is reminiscent of other X logos.
The Verge's Tom Warren pointed out that the new Twitter logo is a replica of the x glyph from Special Alphabets 4 and not the X Windows logo as presumed by most users.
I'm amazed at how many people think Twitter has copied the X Windows logo or some other logo. The new X logo is literally the 𝕏 glyph from Special Alphabets 4 pic.twitter.com/yCuHAF5GXnJuly 24, 2023
Elon hasn't outrightly indicated what drew inspiration for the new logo, though there's a lot of speculation looming around in the air. Notably, he has indicated that he likes the letter X. "If X is closest in style to anything, it should, of course, be Art Deco," Elon stated before making the announcement.
Some users have indicated that the new logo "looks like a close button when in context." Others have indicated that the new logo closely resembles the Lidl version of Lynx Africa, which is a popular deodorant brand that features the letter X in its logo.
Windows Central's take
Twitter has been on a downward spiral since Musk's takeover, with more users transitioning to other social media platforms like Mastodon.
Recently, Elon moved to limit the number of Tweets a user could see daily, which sparked a lot of concern and infuriated many users. Meta consequently seized this opportunity and debuted their Twitter-like alternative, Threads, which experienced immense success during its launch, with over 50 million new signups just over a day after its debut. As such, it'll be interesting to see this change's impact on Threads. Will more users transition to the platform? Only time will tell.
A full rebrand seems imminent, as the change has already been implemented on the web app and will likely roll out to other platforms soon. "There’s absolutely no limit to this transformation," stated Linda Yaccarino, Twitter's new CEO.
Aside from the logo rebrand, Twitter's UI remains pretty much the same, at least for now. It'll be interesting the next steps Elon takes regarding the rebrand and what the future holds for "Twitter." However, we'll likely see more changes in the foreseeable future, especially after Elon's Tweet indicating, "And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds."
"For years, fans and critics alike have pushed Twitter to dream bigger, to innovate faster, and to fulfill our great potential," says Linda Yaccarino, Twitter CEO. "X will do that and more. We’ve already started to see X take shape over the past 8 months through our rapid feature launches, but we’re just getting started."
