Facebook's Rebrand Gets an All-Caps Reax

Revamp as FACEBOOK spurs head-scratching, jokes
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 5, 2019 2:33 AM CST
Facebook Rebrands as ... FACEBOOK
This March 29, 2018, file photo shows the old Facebook logo on screens in New York's Times Square.   (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

At least it's not Bookface—or, for that matter, BOOKFACE. NBC News reports that Facebook announced a rebranding effort this week, and its new name is drawing an all-caps reaction. "FACEBOOK" is the new brand, a revamp of the name using "custom typography, rounded corners, open tracking, and capitalization to create visual distinction between the company and the app," the company noted in a Monday blog post. The company adds it will incorporate the new logo on Instagram, WhatsApp, and its other products and services. Facebook CMO Antonio Lucio tells TechCrunch that the company considered using a new name for the rebrand, but it ultimately decided "it was important to keep the company name ... to own what we stand for, the decisions we make, our responsibility to people, and how our brands relate to each other."

The company lays it on thick in an expanded explanation about the design, noting that "the generous spacing and open letterforms allow clarity at small sizes, and the subtle softening of corners and diagonals adds a sense of optimism." Considering the troubles Facebook has seen lately, this description is generating what the Guardian is calling "general eye-rolling." "Can capital letters save a toxic brand?" the newspaper asks. "The company could change the branding to F•A•C•E•B•O•O•K and substitute little unicorns for the dots and it would still be Facebook," adds the AV Club, which rounds up some funny reactions from the Twitterverse. (More Facebook stories.)

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