The ‘About’ section of Twitter has a few words on the Twitter logo. It says, “Our logo is our most recognizable asset. That’s why we’re so protective of it. Take a moment to think about how you apply it and take a read of our Brand Guidelines for examples of how we like you to use it.” Now, if you have seen the changes in the Twitter logo this week and the reversal as well, you would have to wonder if the CEO is trolling the guidelines. Elon Musk changed the logo of Twitter from the blue bird to the Dogecoin logo, delivering on a promise he made to some random anonymous account — as opposed to promises to the investors and users of Twitter.
The New Twitter Logo pic.twitter.com/q0amfGdN80
— Hitendra Pithadiya(@HitenPithadiya) April 3, 2023
I opened Twitter on Tuesday and had to first confirm I am not high as I saw the blue bird replaced by a dog, who’s valuation has dogged many a crypto investor. Given that people mostly fight like dogs on the platform, perhaps it is an appropriate logo change. But consider the impact on the price of Dogecoin. It jumped 30% after the change. But Elon Musk suddenly reversed it on Friday morning and then it dropped over 10%. Think of the person who bought at the top. Think of how he/she will react if they come across a Shiba Inu dog somewhere on the street in Japan. Perhaps that explains the scared sombre expression on the dog’s face. It’s almost like he is trying to give a statutory disclosure: “I’m not a good boy, please don’t invest in me and hate me afterwards”. But enough about Ankur Warikoo and the World Startup Convention.
Personally, I think, instead of changing the logo, Elon Musk should follow Ekta Kapoor and change the name to Ttwitter. That way, it can truly represent the saas-bahu serial audience on its platform. Perhaps he could also change his own name to Elon Mmusk. And write an autobiography titled: Kyu ki SpaceX bhi kabhi Paypal thi.
One wonders if other apps will also be inspired to make similar changes. Perhaps Bereal should change its logo to the founder’s Aadhaar card photo. Google should change its logo to a ‘Pegasus’. The Government of India can change its logo to Google. But enough about why my income tax filings will come up for audit six months after this article is published.
But as Elon Musk showed on Friday, all good dogs must finally lie down. I hope we are also able to make the headless statue at Salt Lake lie down. Because a photo of that would be the correct logo for the current administration.
The author is a Marwari investment banker turned corporate comedian. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the website.
