The renowned blue bird logo for Twitter has been eliminated, and the 17-year-old social media platform is now referred to as “X.”
Twitter to X
For over 10 years, the blue and white bird logo has served as a symbol of the social network’s distinct culture and lexicon, making Twitter easily recognizable. The word “tweet” became a verb. A “tweet” was a post. The term “Tweeps” was adopted to refer to Twitter staff. Elon Musk, the SpaceX and Tesla billionaire who purchased the platform for over $44 billion late last year has officially changed the company’s renowned bird icon to an “X” as part of a comprehensive revamp.
He recently declared that the company would “bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.” Currently, X.com points users to Twitter’s home page, however, Twitter.com is still active. For a lot of users, branding in the mobile application is not yet changed.
X as “everything app”
The transformation from Twitter to X is a reflection of Musk’s goal to make his platform into what he defines as an “everything app.” According to Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino, the platform will also be backed by artificial intelligence and will be “centered in video, audio, messaging, payments/banking” as part of the revamp.
The simple “X” logo that was decided on has generated a lot of controversy; some people are making fun of it and suggesting other designs. One alternative reimagines the recognizable Twitter bird icon with an “X” inside of it. Musk picked “X” ostensibly because he “likes the letter X,” and it seems an on-brand choice given that one of his earliest businesses was an online bank called X.com, and he also created the spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX and the AI startup X.AI.
The modifications, which remain in the making, are the most obvious ones that Musk has implemented for Twitter since he finalized the agreement to acquire the business last year. He has already changed the platform’s features, such as badges intended to verify users and the regulations dictating what can and cannot be stated on the site, in addition to firing thousands of workers. Yet it was impossible to overlook the name and logo alterations.
By beginning to erase the Twitter name, Elon Musk eliminated a long-standing brand that had been in place since the company’s founding in 2006 and that had simultaneously delighted and irritated politicians, celebrities, and other users. Twitter’s blue bird mascot first debuted in 2010 and then changed two years later.
The take
Business analysts view Twitter’s redesign, which undoes years of branding behind its blue bird logo and makes it one of the most recognizable social media brands, as a hazardous move. As a result of Musk’s modifications to the site, Twitter has already had trouble keeping advertisers since some people now worry that it is a risky place for businesses to market.
In recent years, various technology businesses have changed their names. Google changed its name to Alphabet Inc. to enable several businesses inside the organization to expand independently of search. Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc. to highlight its dedication to the metaverse. But the brand names persisted, and we still use Google to search for stuff.
It’s uncommon for business names to become so ingrained in our daily conversations that people use them as verbs. Even more rarely does the owner of such a brand indicate plans to deliberately compromise it. With or without the designation X, Musk’s own brand is already closely entwined with that of Twitter. One thing working in Elon Musk’s favor now is his personal brand, which might be more potent than the Twitter brand.
