Imperfect, by design

By
Friday, 29 January 2021

Twitter’s got a new look. Get a peek behind the design.

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And it’s been an amazing journey. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we got here…

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We wanted an art-first approach to our brand identity that encompassed emotion and expression. So rather than build the system up from each component part or build around a specific element, we embarked upon building a creative design system that’s intentionally imperfect.

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Instead of working with some of the larger, more well-known companies, we reached out to @AtelierIrradie in Paris. They had a global perspective, a portfolio of fashion and beauty, and a design aesthetic that we knew was right for what we wanted to do. They were great partners, and captured the attitude, vibe, and energy of Twitter. 

Expression and emotion vary depending upon topic, mood, locale, or simply the tilt of the sun; our system allows for that range. We can turn up or down the expressiveness of the brand based upon the situation or conversation.

The work...

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...is ripped. Torn. Bold. Digital. Layered. And courageous. It has energy and motion. 

Tears are used to reveal information or to focus on something. 

Layers and textures represent the constant stream of overlapping and intersecting conversation. 

The use of color that POPS conveys humor, intensity, and authenticity.

And we ground everything in our iconic logo, Twitter blue, AND Tweets.

Because words matter.

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We worked with @grillitype in Switzerland to develop Chirp, our first-ever proprietary typeface. Chirp strikes the balance between messy and sharp to amplify the fun and irreverence of a Tweet, but can also carry the weight of seriousness when needed. 

To get there we blended American Gothic and European Grotesque styles, adding specific handmade quirks of early woodcut specimens. This gives us a versatile and contemporary family with international sensibilities. We’re in the process of extending Chirp to languages beyond the Latin alphabet.

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Finally, the core of our product isn’t changing, we’re just changing how we show up. 

We feel this work is the truest form and reflection of who we are as a company and what our service represents. We are being Twitter.

Twitter is what's happening and what people are talking about right now.

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The team

+160 other awesome Tweeps

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