You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
The twitter identity story
Good design is as little design as possible. — Dieter Rams
This quote stuck with me the first time I read it and helped me gain awareness of some everyday designs that make my life easier but which I never really take the time to appreciate, or even notice. To stretch this even further, the only time most people will notice the efficiency and importance of good design is when something is wrong with it.
In the same vein, it is only now that I fully appreciate the intentionality and cohesion that made up the old twitter design language and iconography. It was so well done that many details went underappreciated until now. At least for posterity, it is worthy of note that the old twitter experience was a clear example of when branding, visual design and user experience come together to create a great product that hits business goals and continues to delight users 17 years in.
As a sort of send off for the twitter I have known and loved, I’d like to document some elements which are of course basic knowledge, but which worked so well because they fit firmly together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
The Name
The site is called twitter and connotes short bursts of speech made for the hearing and response of other birds. This covers an explanation of post lengths and the main aim of the site, which is to socialize with others.
The Logo
The instantly recognizable logo is a bird in flight with its beak open, presumably mid-twitter, socializing with other birds. This is quite apt, as the twitter mobile app can be launched and a post easily sent on the go. The logo is at once busy, lively and fun, encouraging users to air their thoughts and let out their own little bird call.
The Colours
The blue and white work very well together, with the blue inspiring trust and bringing to mind a balmy day with blue skies perfect for a flying bird. The white lends a clean, sophisticated backdrop for all the chirps and tweets going on.
Iconography
The home icon being a bird house is such a simple touch that makes so much sense and adds to the brand identity lore.
Additionally, the default user icon that appears as a profile picture is an egg.
The Language
We can’t overlook the fact that a single post is called a tweet and to corroborate a post is to retweet, which means that the users are all chirping together and getting conversations going. These words have ascended niche usage and now permeate mainstream vocabulary.
Once again, it is clear that good design is the intentional use of visual elements and UX/content writing for product world-building and cohesive storytelling. However, good designers know that good design requires the most work — ideating, testing and iterating — in order to achieve sophistication and seemingly effortless simplicity.
Hopefully, the ongoing changes to the twitter identity will take similar care with building a complete and self sustaining ecosystem so that all the chirping users do not feel displaced. Good luck to everyone involved — they have pretty big shoes to fill.
