New year and a new look for the Uber logo. Their main logo receives a nick and tuck, with spacing reduced, letters thickened and refined. Bringing the letters closer together and thickening them up makes complete sense, it means it’s more easily read and identified at smaller sizes.
“The first thing you’ll notice is that our logotype is at once more grounded and elevated. Some might say it’s less fussy (in part because we have cut the curls, our 1990s hairstyle). This will help you see Uber from afar, and when it’s in small places. It also reflects a more substantial look as we too have matured as a company.”
The main big change with Ubers identity is the introduction of a range of patterns and colours that link to locations.
These are then used within a ‘rider app’ icon and ‘partner app’ icon as backgrounds. This seems to be a smart move as it makes the somewhat unfeeling black and white logo more human and tactile. The colours making it richer and personal to users across the world.
“The old Uber was black and white, somewhat distant and cold. This belied what Uber actually is—a transportation network, woven into the fabric of cities and how they move. To bring out this human side—the atoms—we’ve added color and patterns. The team has spent months researching architecture, textiles, scenery, art, fashion, people and more to come up with authentic identities for the countries where Uber operates.”
These additions to the branding work well, giving a richer broader suite of visual assets to use across their increasing marketing and media. The level of detail and research that’s gone into the patterns and colour palette is impressive…
“In Mexico, we were inspired by Mexican pink and the patterns in the local tiles; in Ireland, from the Georgian architecture and the lush greens; and in Nigeria, from the ankara, which came up again and again because of its bright colors and beautiful geometric patterns.”
Overall it all gels well and links together, it’s detailed and well thought out, suggesting an element of quality and trust.
