Twitter is no more: Unveiling X’s new brand toolkit
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Twitter is no more: Unveiling X’s new brand toolkit

Social Media Marketing Published: August 24, 2023

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It’s official – time to say goodbye, Twitter, and hello X! 

X, formerly known as Twitter, recently released its new brand toolkit, solidifying its rebrand led by new owner Elon Musk and ensuring its 540 million users know how to use its visual assets.

With this change, their iconic bird logo as well as their blue and white brand colors are now history.

For better or worse, Musk is looking to refresh the brand. As marketers, it’s essential to stay attuned to these trends so that we understand what these changes may mean for the future of this popular social platform. 

So let’s dive in!

Why do companies create brand toolkits?

Building a brand is no easy feat. So the last thing you want is someone to come around and butcher your precious logo. For this reason, more and more businesses protect their visual identity with brand toolkits – a way to establish brand consistency across multiple platforms and content types. 

Brand toolkits enable brands to have a say in how they’re represented visually and in design, ensuring that both internal and external teams consistently use the correct colors, fonts, logos, and other key assets by the company’s distinct visual identity.

So, what’s new in X’s brand toolkit?

Twitter’s brand colors have undergone a significant change.

Instead of blue and white, X’s new brand colors are black and white. This represents a radical departure from its former look and feel, perhaps indicating that further significant changes are to come regarding brand values and product offerings. 

Twitter’s brand assets have undergone a complete transformation.

The new and updated brand assets included in X’s brand toolkit include:

X Logo– The visual representation of X’s new brand. This is available in both black and white.

X formerly Twitter Logo

Logo Handle Lockups– This is how you publicly showcase your brand’s handle.
 
X handle

Logo Partnership Lockups– This is how you’ll display your brand’s partnership with X.

X Partner

Post Templates – This is the correct way to share a post originating from the X platform.

X Post template

There is currently no mention of fonts or other visual elements. But as you can see, X’s new visual language is far less bright, fun, and whimsical – a change many creatives, marketers, and users disagree with due to Twitter’s massive brand loyalty. 

Twitter’s brand guidelines are still in development.

X’s recently released brand toolkit states that all shared posts must be original and cannot be altered in any way, including through spell-checking. New updates about how to utilize these materials are likely to emerge in the future as they release more information on their new branding, but as of now, the specifics are not yet publicly known.

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A new identity is born.

While X hasn’t yet updated all online assets, moving from a blue bird to a black “X” is certainly not subtle. 

Just about a month ago, the brand toolkit still featured the original bird logo, the term “tweet”, and other elements synonymous with Twitter’s identity.

twitter brand toolkit

Today, there is no trace of Twitter within X’s brand toolkit. The visual look and feel have undergone drastic changes. Twitter’s light and approachable language choices, which include phrases such as “Get the Goods,” have been replaced with a more business-oriented, no-nonsense approach. It’s also important to note the change from “Tweets” to “Posts” that can be seen in the last asset.

X brand toolkit

Going even further back to 2020, Twitter’s brand toolkit was far more detailed, specifying design elements such as fonts, spacing, sizing, shapes, and other visual elements. Perhaps we’ll see these updates in the coming months as X continues to define their branding. But as of now, X’s rushed rebrand initiative has made defining all visual elements in detail a challenging endeavor.

Why the Rebrand?

X’s rebranding is controversial, to say the least. So why would Elon Musk–someone who has developed many successful businesses–choose to abandon a brand with so much existing brand equity? After all, he may be a quirky character, but he must have some business acumen. 

So, is this rebrand simply Elon Musk’s effort to make Twitter his own, or does it have a strategic purpose behind it?

In all likelihood, Twitter’s rebranding strategy has a lot to do with its new vision of becoming a “future state of unlimited interconnectivity,” as stated by X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino.

With the advanced AI features described above, X may want to evoke a more sophisticated and futuristic look and feel. 

Musk himself also addresses the disconnect between the name “Twitter” and how he sees the company’s mission moving forward. 

Elon Musk Rebrand

In addition to financial exchanges, Musk also shares his desire to launch features such as immersive video streaming, creating a space where journalists, influencers, celebrities, and everyday people can freely exchange ideas, no matter how unconventional or profound those ideas may be.

This radical new vision may be another reason for Musk to leave the beloved Twitter brand behind.

What’s the world saying about X?

stop trying to make x happen

Is Musk a genius–or should he stop trying to make X happen? The reviews are mixed. Here are some reactions to the Twitter rebrand from across the internet:

While there are plenty of adverse reactions to this rebrand, let’s remember that, in general, people tend to be unfavorable to change. So, as the world adjusts to X, it’s only natural that we’d see a bit of outrage.

Even today, not all reactions to X are adverse. In fact, according to research by Civic Science, users of the platform were more likely to have a positive response to the news than nonusers. 

Civic Science

To back up that research, here are some positive reactions from X users:

Most notably, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian had a pragmatic approach to the Twitter rebrand. He states that while he will miss the iconic blue bird and believes that the phrase “tweet” is too ingrained in our lexicon to be replaced, Elon Musk likely wants to redefine what the social media site does and what it represents. Therefore, the X rebrand is the first step in a much bigger direction. Eventually, he believes that the X brand will take off, but the term “tweet” is here to stay.  

Wrapping up

Our take? We believe that Twitter was a highly beloved brand, and making such a radical change poses an inherent risk to the social giant’s success.

However, there are also numerous examples of successful rebranding, such as when Dunkin’ Donuts changed its name to Dunkin’. While this change is much less drastic, it certainly proves that not all rebrands cause an uproar, and they can, in fact, even be embraced.

We believe that over time, as X unveils more products and features, it will become clearer what Musk is trying to achieve. If the offerings match a market need and appeal to a newer, more tech-savvy audience, then perhaps this new brand makes sense.

Ultimately, only time will tell if Twitter’s rebrand will be viewed as a brilliant and strategic move or the beginning of the end for one of the world’s most iconic social media platforms.

What do you think about X’s new look? Let us know on our social channels!

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