Twitter bird gets a makeover

Six years after launching the service, the social-networking company Twitter has dropped the lowercase “t” and is now using a redesigned bird as its logo. “From now on, this bird will be the universally recognisable symbol of Twitter,” Doug Bowman, the company’s creative director, wrote in a blog post. “There’s no longer a need for text, bubbled typefaces, or a lowercase “t’ to represent Twitter.” The old bird, known as Larry, appeared to be flying straight ahead, but the new bird is in takeoff mode, climbing skyward. The new logo is created from three overlapping circles and they are meant to represent users’ networks, interests and ideas connecting with others. The bird itself is also symbolic. “Whether soaring high above the Earth to take in a broad view, or flocking with other birds to achieve a common purpose, a bird in flight is the ultimate representation of freedom, hope and limitless possibility,” Bowman said. Article continues below Twitter gave no reason for the refreshed bird, which is less chubby, has fewer feathers and is angled more towards the sky than its predecessor. But jokesters in the Twittersphere, where #twitterbird was trending Wednesday, were only too happy to offer some. “About time we get a simplified #twitterbird. That last one was so not 140 characters!” wrote MeetZoe. “Twitter is too young to be changing its logo. Although, now the bird is soaring,” added Andrew Mager. The company is urging developers to switch to the new logo - although the Twitter icon in Apple’s App Store was still showing the old bird. Twitter, which allows its members to post brief comments, links or pictures, said it has 140 million active users producing 400 million tweets daily, with the largest number in the US. Digital media analysis firm eMarketer estimated that Twitters revenues could reach $260 million (Dh954.72) this year and $540 million in 2014. Facebook reported $3.7 billion in revenue in 2011. From gulfnews