Everyone loves a makeover

With technological changes advancing us forward at breakneck rates, and small startups rising to the top overnight, it only makes sense that a brand may want to occasionally update its look. A new design aesthetic and logo can reflect shifts in the company itself, as well as changes in consumer tastes and preferences. Everyone loves a makeover, right?

Not always. Consumers are notoriously stubborn about accepting new logos. This week, Uber unveiled its new logo, and people are, frankly, not loving it.

A “more mature” logo

According to a blog post by cofounder Travis Kalanick, when Uber created its logo – a stylized letter U on a black badge – they were, “a fundamentally different company.” Calling the old logo “distant and cold,” the new logo, which looks something like a backwards C with a black square in the middle, is supposedly “more substantial,” to reflect how Uber has “matured as a company.”

Uber has also changed its signature font to a “less fussy” and “more grounded and elevated” script that will “help you see Uber from afar,” and will look better on mobile screens. Facebook recently tweaked its logo for the same reason – small screens require simple design.

“Bad and makes zero sense”

The makeover includes more than just a logo change: the company also apparently “spent months researching architecture, textiles, scenery, art, fashion, people and more” to create different color schemes and patterns “for the countries where Uber operates.”

Consumers took to Twitter to tease Uber about its new logo. Users compared the design to the logo for Robocop or to a Pokémon ball. One user flat out stated, “New @Uber app log is bad & makes zero sense.”

Sarcastic tweets are still good publicity

Experts also weighed in. Susan Cantor, president of Red Peak Branding, told Digiday, “Unfortunately, I don’t think the new design helps… It feels like a map icon or a navigation tool — nothing more — and by failing in design, Uber has undermined the larger strategic platform they want and need to communicate.”

Consumers also gave AirBnB hell about its recently adopted logo, but it didn’t seem to damage the company’s profit margin, proving that even some sarcastic tweets are still good publicity.

#UberMakeover