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LOOK Uber has a new logo and the public is not loving it

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Uber has a new logo and the public does not seem to be loving it.In a statement on its website, the company says the new logo is to reflect that it is fundamentally different company from when it first started four years ago in San Francisco. From 100 private cars, the network now covers 400 cities in 68 countries that delivers food and packages, as well as people, all at the push of a button.https://twitter.com/Uber/status/694626370513539072“And thanks to services like uberX and uberPOOL we’ve gone from a luxury, to an affordable luxury, to an everyday transportation option for millions of people. This change didn’t happen overnight, but it sure feels like it did,” reads the statement from Travis Kalanick, CEO and co-Founder of the companyThe old Uber was black and white, and according to Kalanick, "somewhat distant and cold". To bring out its human side, the company added colours and patterns. The new logo will have country specific colors and patterns.“So today, we’re excited to roll out a new look and feel that celebrates our technology, as well as the cities we serve,” read Kalanick's letterWhile Kalanick and his Uber team is clearly excited about the logo revamp, the internet does not seem to endorse its new look.Here are some hilarious tweets we spotted:https://twitter.com/JonyIveParody/status/694663593955057665https://twitter.com/sacca/status/694638106012585984https://twitter.com/petepachal/status/694614256893956096https://twitter.com/MatthewSantoro/status/694700000840912896This is not the first time the public has voiced strong opinions on a logo revamp.Previously, Airbnb and Reebok and several other brands have also faced criticism from the public.Charlie Cookson, senior strategist at Landor said:"My initial reaction is the same as it always is when I see new stuff like this. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next"He added logos are just vessels imbued with meaning through actions and behaviours. Uber is creating a new, flexible identity system which reflects the ‘atoms’ of the cities in which it operates."It is a reflection of the larger business strategy of connecting technology (bits) to people and things (atoms), so strategically I think it’s a good choice," he added. However,  design wise, it’s a little clunky still but with some refinement it could turn into something more iconic."People have to remember these types of businesses are used to launching and refining as they go. It is okay to prototype and change and react according to public reactions. Agility is in their DNA."DesignCrowd CEO and co-founder Alec Lynch said rebranding for a high profile and well-liked brand such as Uber can be harder than usual and a dramatic change is risky."Many of the world’s largest brands get criticised when they rebrand. Sometimes criticism of a rebrand is unfair. However, in this case, I think Uber have got it wrong. While Uber's new logo, app icons and rebrand might have meaning internally, externally the change hasn't been received well. Uber's rebrand has attracted a lot of criticism from the public, designers and the press with comments ranging from it is 'confusing' to it looks like 'pac-man'," said Lynch.He added that the  level of criticism reflects two things: one - how much people love and care about the Uber brand; and two - how wide of the mark the rebrand is.He added that it is a shame that the brand decided to handle the rebrand in house as it is an "amazing brand millions of designers around the world that would've loved to have worked on.""In the meantime, I will continue using Uber. I just won't update the app so I can keep the old app icon," he added.For this we at Marketing say, chin up Uber. This too shall pass.

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