YouTube has form when it comes to giving its own logo fun and topical makeovers. Last year, Black History Month saw the logo strikingly reimagined every week for the whole of February. And now, YouTube has surprised users with a delightfully traditional take on its wordmark.
If you've noticed that the YouTube logo appears to have gone all Old English, you're not alone. Users have taken to Twitter in their droves to ask if anyone else is seeing the calligraphy style design. (Check out our history of the YouTube logo to see every previous design.)
According to YouTube, the temporary new logo was created in recognition of World Calligraphy Day. "To create today’s logo animation," the brand announced, "we worked with Portuguese calligrapher Xesta of Xesta Studio who reimagined our familiar logo in an old, Latin alphabet lettering style known as Fraktur. The decorative flourishes of Fraktur instantly mark it as a historic style yet Xesta was able to simplify it sufficiently to make it highly legible at a small size. Our in-house team then animated the new logo in a way that evokes the sharp, precise tempo of Xesta’s brush strokes."
But without this delightful context, the new logo seems to be throwing unsuspecting users, with viewers comparing it with everything from a heavy metal logo to, er, a tattoo:
Why does the YouTube logo now look like an Affliction T-shirt? pic.twitter.com/ZIEWwCGWXzAugust 17, 2023
What happened to the YouTube logo font?(looks kind of like the New York Times font) pic.twitter.com/m0VOKWKrmzAugust 16, 2023
Why does the YouTube logo look like my cousin's upper back tattoo? pic.twitter.com/jhd6VXU6ozAugust 16, 2023
Like those BHM logos (and, of course, every Google Doodle ever), the calligraphy YouTube logo likely won't be sticking around for long. If you're inspired to create a logo of your own, take a look at our guide on how to design a logo.
