{"id":2272,"date":"2016-04-27T13:48:15","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T13:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/?p=2272"},"modified":"2016-04-27T13:49:59","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T13:49:59","slug":"uber-logo-change-making-users-uber-unhappy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/04\/uber-logo-change-making-users-uber-unhappy\/","title":{"rendered":"Uber Logo Change Is Making Uber Users Unhappy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>No one likes change especially when you\u2019re so used to clicking on your app of choice which you instinctively know by the placement on your phone, the colour of their logo, shape and uniqueness.\u00a0 So when Uber re-branded and changed their logo, for what some are believing to be \u201cno apparent reason\u201d you\u2019ll be shocked to learn this did not go down well with their users.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h1>1) The question on everyone\u2019s lips \u2013 why?<\/h1>\n<p>Uber unveiled its new look logo when the app was due its update and it immediately caused a stir.<\/p>\n<p>According to Uber the new logo was needed to show how the company had grown over the years, aiming primarily to represent bits and atoms\u2026<\/p>\n<p>However, what some feel it has lost, is its own identity, it doesn\u2019t explain itself very clearly now to its users.\u00a0 There is no brand story or voice behind it in order for it to explain exactly what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n<h1>2) The new logo<\/h1>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2276\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2276\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2276 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_2.png\" alt=\"uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_2\" width=\"750\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_2.png 750w, https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_2-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_2-380x190.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2276\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Uber&#8217;s new logo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The central square in the new logo is being called \u201cthe bit\u201d by Uber.\u00a0 This will be the one element of the logo which will remain the same throughout Uber\u2019s apps and website.\u00a0 The interesting aspect is that the background and even the shape surrounding that tiny square will change to reflect a specific region or design theme.<\/p>\n<p>Standing on Uber\u2019s side for a second, it does sound like they\u2019re acknowledging regional differences, appreciating that not everyone is the same and using the advancements in technology to zone in on user behaviour to reflect this in their logo \u2013 in this sense great branding, so why the outrage?<\/p>\n<h1>3) Change and communication<\/h1>\n<p>Uber have a bigger strategy and their logo and visual identity needed to tie into this and unite the two (sound familiar to the Coca-Cola re-brand?).<\/p>\n<p>So to help them tie this together they came with the \u2018story\u2019 which focused on the \u2018bits and atoms\u2019 which they felt better explained and united their different services to different users.<\/p>\n<p>In Uber\u2019s own blog post about the change, they felt they needed a more mature logo, which showed how they had grown from the young start up to the globally recognised business they are today.<\/p>\n<p>However, it is this original visual identity which has helped the company establish its branding, its connection with the consumer and helped them to grow and evolve.\u00a0 To change this to something unrecognisable with no link to the old design or in consumers\u2019 eyes connection to the company, it might not have been the best rebranding move to make.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2277\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2277\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2277\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_3-300x169.png\" alt=\"Uber's original logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_3-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_3-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_3-295x166.png 295w, https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_3-290x163.png 290w, https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_3.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2277\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Uber&#8217;s original logo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1>4) Your logo is your brand which connects you to your customer<\/h1>\n<p>Uber\u2019s logo is their connection to their customer, people know exactly what they\u2019re getting and it is this that has built their reputation as well as their business.<\/p>\n<p>If a company is failing, struggling or in need or a complete refresh then yes, fully rebrand and change the logo to suit.\u00a0 To change the logo from something that works to something that the Chiefs think better reflects the company will never work \u2013 and this is the approach many feel Uber have taken.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve not listened to their customers, zoned in on the usability and the behaviour their current branding evokes and use this to focus their re-brand around.<\/p>\n<h1>5) The problem with re-branding logos on apps<\/h1>\n<p>Recognisable, quick, easy to identify, simple \u2013 we don\u2019t have time to search, we want things quicker and easier than ever before.\u00a0 Something that you instantly recognise, even if ever so slightly allows consumers to make quicker decisions, there is less anxiety about using the app to access the product\/service and the relationship with the brand is hence created.<\/p>\n<p>It is how this relationship is reached that is important to take into consideration when re-branding.\u00a0 If that\u2019s already built and you change it, you do stand to turn away an awful lot of people.<\/p>\n<p>It will be interesting to see the full extent to this logo change in a couple of months\u2019 time, once the dust has settled.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>References: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/uber-just-got-a-new-logo-and-people-dont-like-it-2016-2\" target=\"_blank\">Business Insider<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/ira-kalb\/uber-logo-change-are-they_b_9191538.html\" target=\"_blank\">Huffington Post<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyherald.com\/article\/20160207\/business\/160209409\/\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Herald<br \/>\n<\/a><\/em><em><strong>Pictures from<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uber.com\">Uber.com<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/uber-just-got-a-new-logo-and-people-dont-like-it-2016-2\" target=\"_blank\">Business Insider<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No one likes change especially when you\u2019re so used to clicking on your app of choice which you&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":2275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Uber re-branded and changed their logo, and this did not go down well with their users. The articles analyzes this logo change.","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[487,2,4],"tags":[31,35,14,189,543,190],"ppma_author":[757],"class_list":{"0":"post-2272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brand-visual-identity","8":"category-logo-design","9":"category-news","10":"tag-communication","11":"tag-consumers","12":"tag-logo","13":"tag-rebrand","14":"tag-uber","15":"tag-visual-identity","16":"cs-entry","17":"cs-video-wrap"},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":487,"label":"Brand Visual Identity"},{"value":2,"label":"Logo"},{"value":4,"label":"News"}],"post_tag":[{"value":31,"label":"communication"},{"value":35,"label":"consumers"},{"value":14,"label":"logo"},{"value":189,"label":"rebrand"},{"value":543,"label":"Uber"},{"value":190,"label":"visual identity"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/uber_rebrand_logo_the_branding_journal_1.png",917,516,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Amanda Wright","author_link":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/author\/amanda-w\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":487,"name":"Brand Visual Identity","slug":"brand-visual-identity","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":487,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":490,"count":26,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":487,"category_count":26,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Brand Visual Identity","category_nicename":"brand-visual-identity","category_parent":490},{"term_id":2,"name":"Logo","slug":"logo-design","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":490,"count":22,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":2,"category_count":22,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Logo","category_nicename":"logo-design","category_parent":490},{"term_id":4,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":95,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":4,"category_count":95,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":31,"name":"communication","slug":"communication","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":31,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":35,"name":"consumers","slug":"consumers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":35,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":14,"name":"logo","slug":"logo","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":14,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":18,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":189,"name":"rebrand","slug":"rebrand","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":189,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":543,"name":"Uber","slug":"uber","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":543,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":190,"name":"visual identity","slug":"visual-identity","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":190,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":10,"filter":"raw"}],"authors":[{"term_id":757,"user_id":15,"is_guest":0,"slug":"amanda-w","display_name":"Amanda Wright","avatar_url":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Amanda-W.jpg","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2272"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2292,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272\/revisions\/2292"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2272"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}