Elon Musk's Big Logo Change: Risks and Reactions

Tuesday - August 15 2023, 13:14 UTC - 1 year ago

Twitter has recently rebranded itself to a spindly black X, causing user's ambivalence, ridicule and scorn. CEO Elon Musk's long standing obsession with the letter X dates back to 2000 when he was forced out as CEO of PayPal for trying to change its name to X. Facebook similarly rebranded itself to Meta in 2021, seeking to shift its focus to the metaverse. Lego also updated its logo in 2021 with a condensed sans-serif font. Dunkin’ and Path also made similar name changes and slight rebrands. Rivals Threads, Meta's new social media platform, is reportedly off to a strong start.

Twitter has swapped the fluffy bird that used to symbolize the social media platform for a spindly black X. Ditching the company’s well-known logo and changing its name to a letter often associated with danger, death and the unknown is only the latest user-aggravating step CEO Elon Musk has taken since he bought Twitter in October 2022 for US$44 billion.

But it’s the most visually jarring one.

The reaction has mainly been a mix of ambivalence, ridicule and scorn. For the most part, longtime Twitter users are unhappy at what they perceived as another unnecessary change that’s eroding their enthusiasm for the social media platform. It’s hard to find anybody praising the change so far, except perhaps some of Elon Musk’s most devoted fans. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey signaled that he was finding the uproar overblown.

I’m paying close attention to this corporate pivot because I’m a scholar of design who researches social media and brand campaigns. Logos and brand names change all the time and rarely cause this much commotion. But because these changes go deeper than most, I believe the risks of damage to the company are greater.

X’s clumsy design .

X might strike you as a weird brand name, and the change may seem to have happened out of the blue, but Musk has long been smitten with the letter.

In 2000, the founders of PayPal ousted him as CEO for trying to change its name to "X," his Tesla models are famously named S, 3, X and Y – which displayed together basically spell out the word "SEXY," and one of his many children is named X on his birth certificate.

I would describe the new logo, submitted by a Twitter user, as a white-on-black, sans-serif X consisting of two strokes. It’s minimal and modern – and a stark departure from Twitter’s iconic blue-and-white bird. That shade of blue makes you feel calm and serene; black conveys sophistication and mystery.

And yet even people who know nothing about design are poking fun at the logo’s simplicity and unprofessional execution. To me, the logo looks suitable for a metaverse strip club or a dating app for robots.

Facebook’s Meta journey .

Oddball branding is hardly unusual for a big tech company.

When Facebook rebranded itself as Meta in 2021, it was part of a comprehensive, strategic and long-term plan. The transformation signified the company’s aspiration to shift from a social media platform to an enterprise focused on the metaverse.

While the goal of a vibrant metaverse remains more theoretical than imminent, the rebranding still gave Meta some momentum as it now seeks to shift its focus to artificial intelligence.

Meta’s rebranding highlights the importance of staying relevant and embracing innovation. The company discerned the changing landscape and demonstrated a willingness to adapt in response to shifting consumer needs and preferences. When it realized the metaverse wasn’t materializing, the company focused elsewhere.

Perhaps that openness to trying new things explains why the rollout of Threads, Meta’s new competitor for the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is apparently off to a strong start.

From dunking to Dunkin’ and rebuilding Lego’s .

Familiar tech companies have routinely rebranded over the years. Lego discarded its serif font in favor of a condensed sans-serif font back in 2017. Then, in 2021, Lego announced its new visual identity and revamped logo. The simplified font was met with mixed reactions from social media users who declared it too cluttered and corporate. And Dunkin’ and Path have also opted for name changes or slight rebrands to match their new direction.