In 2023, Twitter made a notable update to its logo, opting to replace the well-known blue bird symbol with a fresh ‘X’ logo.
The reveal of this change was made by the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, through a post on the Twitter platform. Additionally, he shared an image of the new logo showcased at the Twitter headquarters.
In a tweet on an early Sunday morning, Mr Musk announced that the Twitter brand would soon be bidding farewell along with the gradual removal of all bird-related imagery.
After Mr Musk’s announcement, around 24 hours later, the company’s website showcased a stylized, black-and-white X as a replacement for the previous blue bird logo.
Mr Musk uses the term “X” to describe an “everything app,” envisioning the integration of social media, instant messaging, and payment services, similar to the widely popular Chinese app, WeChat.
According to Mr Musk, acquiring Twitter would speed up the development of “X.” To manage Twitter, he formed a corporate entity named X Holdings.
During an early Sunday Twitter audio live stream, Mr Musk announced his decision to change Twitter’s logo, stating that he should have done it much earlier and apologizing for the delay.
Later on, in an email addressed to Twitter’s employees, Mr Musk confirmed the transition to “X” by stating, “We are indeed changing to X.” He concluded the message with a salute emoji, signifying that it would be his final communication from a Twitter email.
The headquarters in San Francisco prominently displayed the fresh Twitter logo.
Mr Musk has the ability to implement these changes at the company with few obstacles since he took it privately during the acquisition.
However, he might face opposition from the banks that have provided him with substantial loans and the private investors involved in the deal.
These stakeholders could express concerns about discarding one of Twitter’s most prominent assets.
The company experienced a significant decline in advertising revenue, which coincided with the exit of sales executives and concerns about an increase in problematic content on the platform.
Additionally, it now faces a well-financed competitor in Threads, a Twitter-like service introduced by Meta, the owner of Facebook.
Mr Musk has a strong affinity for the letter X, as evident from his history. In 1999, he co-founded X.com, an online bank, which eventually merged with another startup to create PayPal.
In 2017, he made it known that he repurchased the X.com domain from PayPal.
The Twitter logo has undergone significant changes from 2006 to 2023, marking the start of the X era.
However, The absence of the bird logo raises questions about the significance of the name ‘Twitter’, and whether we can continue using the term ‘tweets’. The future will reveal what lies ahead for Twitter, both as a brand and a platform.
However, the introduction of ‘X’ certainly brings a distinct and unique energy compared to its previous identity. It reflects a characteristic touch of Elon Musk.
The logo change and new name may have the intention of linking the platform to the xAI logo of Musk’s recent artificial intelligence venture, which sparked significant design discussions a week ago.
Initially, Larry the Bird was still visible on Twitter, but employees were already using the ‘X’ logo in their bios. However, now the new logo has officially replaced Larry. It appears that this new look won’t be as temporary as the previous shift to the Dogecoin logo earlier this year.