Twitter’s new bird comes with strict copyright rules

Twitter overhauls the Twitter bird

Today, Twitter unveiled¹ their new logo, an updated bird that is less whimsical than the playful bird with a tuft of feathers on its head, and with the new icon, the company shows a more upwardly facing bird. Since its launch six years ago, their blue bird logo has been synonymous with the social media giant, and the company says “From now on, this bird will be the universally recognizable symbol of Twitter,” adding that ” There’s no longer a need for text, bubbled typefaces, or a lowercase “t” to represent Twitter.”

The new logo was inspired by the company’s “love for ornithology, design within creative constraints, and simple geometry,” and is created by using three sets of overlapping circles, “similar to how your networks, interests and ideas connect and intersect with peers and friends.”

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Guidelines for using the new bird

While most will simply look at the bird and move on, it is important for businesses with websites to note that any Twitter bird or icon featured on the website has instantly been rendered outdated.

The company offers guidelines for using the new logo (read: how to use their copyrighted logo, which is not negotiable despite what liberties designers take):

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• DO Use our official, unmodified Twitter bird to represent our brand.
• DO Make sure the bird faces right.
• DO Allow for at least 150% buffer space around the bird.

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• DON’T Use speech bubbles or words around the bird.
• DON’T Rotate or change the direction of the bird.
• DON’T Animate the bird.
• DON’T Duplicate the bird.
• DON’T Change the color of the bird.
• DON’T Use any other marks or logos to represent our brand.

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Click below to download one of the new icons for your website: