Behold, the brand new Facebook logo!
Well, it's mostly new. The blue's the same. Same "k". The "f" is definitely the same. Actually the main thing new about this logo is the nagging sense of something being not quite right when you look at it. I recognise those letters, but ...
Ah yes, it's a new "a". Facebook changed out the logo on Wednesday for the first time since 2005. Did you notice? The all-important "f" — which also makes up Facebook's favicon — remains the same, although it no longer makes a good connection with the "a", which is I think what's causing my ocular discomfort.
"[We] developed a custom typeface [for this logo] to reflect where we are now and where we are headed," creative designer Josh Higgins told logo blog (yes, logo blog) Brand New. "Facebook 10 years ago is very different from Facebook now."
Evidently it isn't so different that it can't be summed up with a new "a" and a bit of pruning.
I tease, but the new logo is actually quite a departure when you get down to the nitty gritty. The text is slimmer, the overall profile closer to the ground and the typeface is made up of the serifs and curved edges our eyes generally expect to see (actually looking at the old logo, that "b" is a little weird).
The company obviously feels these changes are important and, like Apple's phone and desktop adoption of its new "San Francisco" font, they are clearly meant for maximum clarity and readability no matter the size of the screen you're looking at. Since we can soon expect to see the Facebook logo in everything from VR to telepathic mind messages, a bit of simplifying is probably a sound idea.
Still, it's hard not to be a tad disappointed when a company gives up a bit of its quirk and personality for the sake of ubiquity and practicality. Where would Google's iconic logo be now if they had decided the slim lettering, white background and two very different "g"s was an impediment to readability?
What do you think of the new logo? Does it make a difference? Did you notice?
