Twitter has introduced a strict set of instructions to go with its new stripped-down ‘Twitterbird’ logo.
The website is getting rid of its cartoon-style bird and replacing it with a simplified, dark blue version of the famous image.
The logo is now coded in CSS, making it optimised for browsing without images and SEO friendly, which could benefit the company as the logo often appears in email blasts and on mobiles.
A long list of rules lays out ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ for Twitter users, web designers, authors and advertisers has been drawn up by Twitter.
The change of branding was revealed in a post on the site’s blog by Twitter creative director Doug Bowman.
“Over the past six years, the world has become familiar with a little blue bird. The bird is everywhere, constantly associated with Twitter the service, and Twitter the company,” said creative director Doug Bowman.
“Starting today you’ll begin to notice a simplified Twitter bird. From now on, this bird will be the universally recognizable symbol of Twitter… There’s no longer a need for text, bubbled typefaces, or a lowercase ‘t’ to represent Twitter.”
The new bird “grows out of love for ornithology, design within creative constraints, and simple geometry,” Bowman said.
“This bird is crafted purely from three sets of overlapping circles — similar to how your networks, interests and ideas connect and intersect with peers and friends. Whether soaring high above the earth to take in a broad view, or flocking with other birds to achieve a common purpose, a bird in flight is the ultimate representation of freedom, hope and limitless possibility.”
The website demands the new Twitterbird is official, unmodified and faces right.
Further rules go into detail giving the bird a speech bubble, rotating, animating or duplicating the bird and changing its colour.
Twitter says the guidelines are there to help users, so they do not have to ‘worry about negotiating a separate agreement with us or talking to our lawyers’.
The instructions quickly became the subject of criticism and mockery on the web.
A blog post pointing out how the new logo flipped by 90 degrees and coloured black looks remarkably like Batman’s masked face attracted thousands of retweets in a few hours.
Watch a video from Twitter explaining the changes below:
Read the offical Twitter announcement here
