YouTube unveils new logo and identity

YouTube calls the new design an evolution, not a revolution.

YouTube has changed the identity it has had for the last 12 years, which has been a pair of anachronisms wrapped inside each other. “We have the word tube in a tube,” says Christopher Bettig, the head of YouTube’s art department. “This is weird. No one know what this is.”

So the company decided to carry out its getting its biggest aesthetic makeover ever. The YouTube logo is being refreshed, shifting the emphasis away from the word “Tube” and onto the familiar play button which has already become an iconic shorthand for the company. YouTube is also getting a new typeface, color scheme, and a bunch of major changes to the look, feel, and functionality of its desktop and mobile app.

The company however stressed that while the logo change is the most significant in YouTube’s history, it’s not a complete transformation, like the morphing of Uber’s silver U into a backwards C.

“It’s an evolution, not a revolution,” says Bettig.

Designed for YouTube’s multi-screen world, the updated Logo, according to the company, combines a cleaned up version of the YouTube wordmark and Icon, creating a more flexible design that works better across a variety of devices, even on the tiniest screens.

Why’s it more flexible? When room is limited (say on a smartphone) you can use the brightened up Icon as an abbreviated Logo, which will be seen more easily and read more clearly.

The new Logo and Icon rolled out across mobile and desktop on Tuesday, and across all the company’s other apps and services soon.

“We know this is a lot of change, but we want to make clear that there’s one thing that stays the same: YouTube’s mission. We’re here to give people a voice and show them the world – no matter what device they use,” said Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer, YouTube.