After venturing quickly on Twitter, some might be wondering why is the internet freaking out about Uber’s new logo and its futuristic-like look. Might be force of habit or it might be because it “looks ugly”, according to some.
- Uber first came on the market in 2010, with the classic black and white ‘u’ logo
- In 2016, they have now changed the logo for both the rider and the partner
- The logo will remain the same for every country, but the background’s color is going to change
- The U.S. will see the deep blue, India bright teal, along with 66 other variations
The famous ride company Uber has decided to make a change on its identity by redesigning its logo. The stylized ‘U’ with black and white is now gone, and many question why. For starters, the old logo had an elegant quality to it, but it also stood for another message. During its first years, back in 2010, Uber wasn’t exactly everyone’s ride. It was more of a service of luxury.
Those with enough funds were able to call and get a ride from high-end cars such as BMWs or others. It put the classy look of the logo, simple and telling, to good use. However, in 2016, Uber is a completely different company with another purpose in mind. And they want the public to know it. However, not all messages are well received, especially if they’re not aesthetically pleasing or even very identifying with the company’s name.
It could just be the internet surging in an uproar at every bit of change existent. It’s usually the case when a majority find everything new and different to be ugly, while the old aspect would forever remain a ‘cool vintage’ in their eyes. It happens to everything, ranging from products to even old movies, where some are truly bad but considered good because they hail from a different age. Perhaps it’s the same happening with Uber’s new logo.
However, this time the internet appears to have found some decent arguments about the change. While Uber might see this as a “coming of age”, a way to depict the fact that they are now every man’s service, the aspect of the new coloring and icon has not been received well. Most complain about the lack of a message behind the company’s odd 180 degrees turned ‘c’ letter. They complained that by looking at it, they do not see Uber. That means that the simplest tasks has been neglected in its design.
While the logo seems to want to encompass the digital and real world where Uber operates, one can’t help but wonder why the little line wasn’t vertically placed on top to at least make an ‘u’. The ‘around the world’ message that seems to be the aim would’ve been just as well understood. The partner icon also seems to offer the same confusion. Though perhaps the lines represent the partner boarding the car and then taking you at the desired location, it’s still with the same colored pattern background that was inspired by bathroom tiles. Literally, as Uber stated that was their source of inspiration for the design.
The logo that the company is now calling “atom and bit” has a different colored background for each of the 68 countries where they operate. The logo means to “celebrate the cities that Uber serves”, but it remains to be seen if the residents of those cities will appreciate the gesture. With time, however, it’s likely that they will have to get used to it.
Image source: businessinsider.com
What's That Product? says
Must admit, not really sure about it.
fturla says
A symbol for a company or organization is suppose to represent the origins and intent of a company. When you change it and the meaning changes, the shape is different, and the colors are not the previous ones used then you are completely wrong in how to design and keep the goodwill of the previous symbol. You are throwing away your past and that displays an insensitivity most people will dislike and feel that there is something wrong with the company.