Uber has just unveiled an entirely new look that is fresh, has a custom made typeface, new colours, and a brand new in-app look!
Peter Markatos, Uber’s executive director of brand, said that this rebrand reflects Uber’s transition from “San Francisco startup to a global company,” particularly one that’s become a “platform of mobility.” When work on the project first began nine months ago, he said that the team wasn’t sure if it would pan out to be a full rebrand. But after hours of research and discussion with riders and drivers, Markatos said they decided it was necessary.
“As we expand our reach into our other markets and modalities, it’s super important that it’s very clear that when you’re getting into an Uber car or on an Uber scooter, you know that is an Uber product,” he said. “We weren’t achieving that with our current system.”
To help clear up some of that confusion, the company is doing away with the symbol that’s been featured on its app icon for the past two years. Through the aforementioned internal research, the team discovered that most consumers don’t actually associate the symbol with Uber. “It doesn’t make sense to build more equity into something that people don’t understand,” Markatos said.
Uber found its strength in three things: Its name, the U and the color black. So in creating a new logo, they leaned into those features. As Markatos said: “We are a household name, why would we go away from that?”
That new logo is a simple wordmark that (naturally) reads “Uber,” with a capital U.
A subtle touch in the wordmark that Marakatos said Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wanted to capitalize on? The right side of the capital “U” and the left side of the lowercase “b” in the new wordmark, which appears to look like two lines on a road. When users open the app, the wordmark will slowly disappear until just those two lines remain, opening up to display the map page.
The hope is that this rebranding will make Uber’s presence is a bit clearer to riders, drivers and potential customers. Uber’s No.1 imperative in the redesign is “seeing Uber and knowing Uber,” Markatos said. “Making sure that when an Uber shows up, then that’s very clear. This has implications when it comes to safety, when it comes to accessibility, so we took this very seriously.”
