The Bird
Martin Grasser
We design systems that are joyful, collaborative, meaningful and expressive.
Today we say goodbye to this great blue bird. This logo was designed in 2012 by a team of three. @toddwaterbury, @angyche and myself.
The logo was designed to be simple, balanced, and legible at very small sizes, almost like a lowercase "e."
I wanted to share some process of the work we made:
There was essentially no brief, other than we want a new bird, and it should be as good as the Apple and Nike logo. Twitter had made some sort of flying goose - but Jack wanted something simpler.
So, I just started drawing birds. Drawing is one of the quickest ways to understand how the shapes can work together
I was also trying to capture the motion of birds, and the shape that profile created led us to play with that round belly in the 3rd and 4th sketches
We liked using a circles to construct our drawings, it felt like the bird should have an underlying neutrality and simplicity about it.
From that point on we really spent our time perfecting every little detail... so that it felt balanced, and visible as a bird at the smallest of sizes.
Sometime in March we had an approved bird and it launched in May of 2012. This little blue bird did so much over the last 11 years, 🫡
The bird is so simple, yet well-crafted. The new X logo is neither.
It's hard to believe it's already been three weeks since this post caught our attention! The behind-the-scenes journey of crafting the Twitter logo has been nothing short of incredible. As I read through, it triggered my own memories from a unique chapter in my career – the time I spent as a Barista at the Twitter office in London. Amidst the fascinating world of design, I found joy in conjuring up more than just lattes – I created tiny masterpieces. One of my favorites was a latte where Larry Bird emerged artfully from a tulip. Those were the kinds of concoctions that brought smiles to the "twits" around the office. Looking back, I can't help but smile at the blend of creativity and community. So, here's a little throwback to those coffee-fueled days, reminding us all of the beauty of blending innovation and art. ☕🎨🐦 #CoffeeArtAdventures #MemoriesFromTheCup #CreativeTwitConnections
Sr Creative Director — Brand | Strategy | Digital | Marketing
10moThanks for creating such a equally friendly and iconic logo, which also had an outsized cultural impact. One of my favorite takes of the bird was a spray painted version with a gas mask which emerged in Istanbul‘s Gezi park protest movement
Service to C-suites. Founder, TaskForceNEXT.com - Vice Chairman of the Board, Shields & Stripes. Past: McChrystal Group, Twitter, U.S. Marine, Sensitive Activities for Navy SEALs, JSOC, SOCOM, Pentagon.
10moI, WE owe you for this…
Graphic Designer at RIFFE
10mosooo iconic