In context: Live-streaming platform Twitch has been in the business for eight years now, and it hasn't changed a whole lot over time. Even when Amazon acquired the service in 2014, it did not change other than adding Prime membership integration.
On Thursday, Twitch announced some new changes coming to the platform. Nothing major is being added or taken away. It will still be the same old Twitch everyone knows and loves. Mainly it is getting a new look and branding.
The updated design will sport a new logo, colors, and font. The overhaul was not just a spur-of-the-moment decision. Twitch says it has been working on the new look for about a year.
"Just over a year ago, we set off on a journey. Our destination: an updated Twitch brand that matches the vibrant energy of our creators and communities, so we could help clear the path on their way to becoming globally recognized icons. And with communities like ours, matching that energy is no small task."
Most of the changes are quite subtle. Purple is still the primary color in the branding, but it is a lighter shade (Hex #9146ff vs. #6441a5). The logo is a bit bolder, and Glitch (the little blocky word bubble mascot) looks more or less the same.
It also added about 24 new colors to the palette, each named "after iconic games and pop culture characters," like "Pac" (yellow), Wipe Out (teal), and Sonic (blue). The colors will be used on the site, in apps, and in advertising. The palette can also be used by content creators to personalize their feeds using a new "Creator Color" tool. They can even tweak the wordmark and Glitch to fit their channel.
It uses a new typeface called "Roobert" modeled from the Moog synthesizer font. Roobert was designed with the chatrooms in mind, but it will also be used in marketing and product design.
Added together, these subtle effects offer a distinct change in the look of the platform. Of course, the makeover comes with a new slogan as well.
"You're already one of us."
To me, it brings connotations of the Borg from Star Trek --- "Resistance is futile. You're already one of us." Of course, I'm a huge geek. Twitch was obviously shooting for something welcoming.
Twitch will be formally introducing the new look with an ad campaign featuring some big-name Twitch personalities. It did not mention who those streamers were though.