Uber has a new logo and lots of people hate it.
Instead of the stylized white and black “U,” the new design features an image that the company calls the “atom and bit.”
The new logo will be used worldwide, according to a spokeswoman, but it will have a unique color scheme in each of the 68 countries that the company operates in.
Kalanick added that Uber spent months researching local cultures, scenery and architecture to develop different pallets to decorate its app.
Uber has also refreshed the typeface for its main logo.
Uber’s press release describing the changes — written by CEO Travis Kalanick himself — says that the new branding “celebrates our technology, as well as the cities we serve,” and gets rid of the stark black-on-white appearance in favor of muted colors that vary depending on region.
With its new logo, Uber says it wants to better represent the company it is now. Uber began as a way to summon private black cars, and had a red magnet as a logo at the time. Four years ago, it switched to the black logo with a “U” to match its new “everyone’s private driver” motto. And today, it provides various transportation services for people, as well as delivery of everything from kittens to burritos.
