Why We’ll Eventually Get Used To The New Uber Logo

Uber unveiled a rebrand of its entire Logotype and Icon. Although some people are clearly confused and upset, here’s why we’ll get used to it anyways. 

If you’ve put your passcode into your iPhone and looked for the Uber app, you might’ve got a bit of a surprise to see that Uber has changed their logo. Earlier Wednesday, Uber went ahead and unveiled a new Logotype and icon for its entire digital landscape. Instead of the iconic U that everyone’s pretty much gotten used to, the new Uber Logo now resembles an almost closed letter C flipped 180 degrees. Wired was able to give us the skinny on why exactly Uber changed its logo and the process they went through might surprise you.

Six year ago, Uber was launched along with its icon. Now in 2016, CEO Travis Kalanick decided that Uber as a company is totally different and has transformed so much that a rebranding was in order. Instead of hiring out the process to a designer who has the skill-set to carry out the task, Travis worked with fellow designer Shalin Amin to relaunch a project to redesign their app six months prior. Here’s a video they published to relaunch their logo internationally.

Sitting down with five other designers, it took the motley team more than 18 months to come up with five pillars or company principles. A Brazilian designer from Google gave them their new typeset. Then for the next couple of brain storming sessions, the idea of an atom and a bit combining the digital and the physical worlds of Uber set the foundation for the rest of their “design process. ”

A collaboration with a brand manager from Nigeria launched the idea of having a distinctive color pattern for each country and a communications manager got inspiration for the pattern set from her bathroom tiles.

What results is the logo you see before you. The one on the left is for rider and the one on the right is for partner.

Critiques have pointed out that the flipped C doesn’t have any fundamental meaning or connection to the name of the company and waters down the concept of a trademark, which is to distinguish a good or service from another company (i.e. Lyft.)

Next: Arsenio Hall Refused To Narc On His Marijuana-Loving Uber Driver

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As all things that elicit change, people normally are opposed to it. Over time, we’ll come to appreciate and accept this new Logo for Uber. The service will remain the same and improve over time and we’ll have forgotten this fiasco ever took place.