You might not recognize YouTube anymore
The YouTube logo has grown up. Those who used the site between 2005 and 2011 may remember its red tube, with beveled edges and CRT television shape like the old TV Guide logo, complete with skeuomorphic highlights, shadows, and gradients. In the years between 2011 and now, YouTube only slightly changed its logo: They slowly removed the early web style and wound up with something flat but familiar.
The evolution of YouTube's logo from 2005 to 2017.
Last week, though, YouTube released the biggest logo change to date. First and foremost, they've moved the red tube from behind "Tube," to the left, and made it a play button. One pro here is pretty obvious: The logotype can now be read as one word, rather than two.
Animation revealing the latest logo change.
The work was down in-house. The art department changed the type used in the logo. Before, they’d used an altered version of ATF’s Alternate Gothic No. 2, from way back in 1903. Now, they've designed their own. Inspired by early twentieth century grots, type, Christopher Bettig, head of YouTube's art department, said their new type aims to "keep the history and the tension of a media typeface—that was made in 1903 to be typeset manually—with a digital platform that reaches farther than any newspaper of the time could ever conceive of."
Before and after versions of YouTube's logotype. Courtesy Brand New.
YouTube announced the new logo in an post titled “A new YouTube look that works for you.” In the article, they detailed a wide variety of changes, reaching beyond the logo. Updates include a new app interface, new desktop interface, both with experimental features. If you're an regular YouTube-watcher, expect to see plenty of changes over the coming months.
