Uber just changed its logo -- and people are already calling it ugly

Updated
Taken for a Ride? NYC Uber Drivers Aren't Happy About Fare Cuts
Taken for a Ride? NYC Uber Drivers Aren't Happy About Fare Cuts

Uber unveiled a new logo on Tuesday.

The new look debuted alongside the latest Uber app update, version 2.118.8.

Uber's new logo is already causing quite a stir on Twitter, with many quick to declare the logo ugly. Of course, that's not uncommon when a hugely popular app significantly changes its look — just look at the uproar that sprang up when Spotify changed the specific shade of green it used in its app.

New Uber logo
New Uber logo

Aside from the new app icon, the only major change immediately noticeable in the update was a new splash screen that comes up when you first open the app. The splash screen shows off the new logo and icon, and we also get a brief glimpse of what the new icon looks like on a stark black background (which does make it somewhat resemble the Death Star from "Star Wars").

Uber has also announced the visual re-branding in a blog post, which also details how the app's icons will change depending on regional colors and patterns.

Click through to learn how much Uber drivers make in different cities:

Uber says that the "heart" of its new logo is something it's calling "The bit," or the central square in the new logo. While that bit will remain the same throughout Uber's apps and website, the background and even the shape surrounding that tiny square will change to reflect a specific region or design theme.

"One of the big changes over the years is that Uber no longer moves just people; we're now moving food, goods, and soon maybe much more," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick writes in the blog post. "With the potential for many apps with many app icons, we needed one approach that connected them all. So we came back to our story of bits and atoms. You'll see that both rider and driver icons have the bit at the center, and then the local colors and patterns in the background. This is a framework that will also make it easy to develop different icons for new products over time."

New Uber logo driver app logo
New Uber logo driver app logo

Uber

The color theme for China:

New Uber theme
New Uber theme

Uber

The color theme for Ireland:

New Uber theme Ireland
New Uber theme Ireland

Uber

More from Business Insider:

Advertisement