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Why Everyone Hates Uber's New Logo

Why Everyone Hates Uber's New Logo

By Tanya Sichynsky, The Washington Post | Updated: 4 February 2016 17:58 IST

Like just about any other iPhone user, I have an apps folder titled "Navigation" on my homescreen. But when I open it, I can't find what I'm searching for. I know it's there; I'm looking right at it. The Uber app is staring right back at me, but I still don't see it.

This is a conundrum with which we're all familiar. One of your favorite apps rebrands, overhauling its logo and perhaps other key features users hardly notice until they disappear.

Uber's new logo is not the fruit of a commissioned marketing agency's labors, but rather the brainchild of the company's internal design team, according to Wired. Regardless of who's responsible for turning the simple black and grey "U" into what I imagine a doughnut would look like in "Tron," some folks just aren't buying in.

Alexandra Petri tweeted, "why is uber's new logo a trade federation command ship"

But listen, Uber. It's not you, and it may not even be your logo, no matter how unrelated it is to the service you provide. It's change. The new logo could've been a photo of an adorable puppy and people would still hate it. You're not alone.

The internet has lost its collective mind ad infinitum when it comes to a well-intentioned company rebrand for this very reason. Just ask Medium, Spotify, Verizon, Google . . . the list goes on.

Some tweets: "I don't hate @uber's new logo as much as I still hate @medium's logo, so theres that"

"I still haven't updated my spotify because i don't like the new color of the logo."

Oh, and don't forget Airbnb, whose 2014 rebrand inspired comparisons of its logo to various parts of the anatomy, thus making those complaints Not Safe For Blog.

Criticism of Uber's new logo is not unique to the Twittersphere. Users have taken to the app's review sections on both the Google Play store and Apple's App Store to air their logo-provoked grievances. Are those frustrations enough to hurt Uber's business?

Despite how much or how little a company is willing to spend on its rebranding efforts, those decisions and the collective outrage that follows rarely have any bearing on the company's bottom line.

Complain we might, but replace we likely won't. Well, most of us. A tweet:

".@Uber i may have to switch to using @lyft just based on the awful new logo."

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