Writing a long comment providing detail about Reddit’s refreshed logo, mascot, and typeface this week, a Reddit employee seemingly rethought the post and opted to conclude it with choice words. The post’s last line currently reads:
“Edit: Obligatory ‘Fuck Spez’ for karma.”
The Reddit employee, going by Acidtwist on Reddit and known as Tavish, says they’re Reddit’s head of brand creative (Reddit says it doesn’t disclose the real identities of its workers on Reddit).
The post’s ending was a playful, tongue-in-cheek comment to top off a long, rather informative post about Reddit’s branding updates. But the note, (referring to Reddit CEO Steve Huffman and serving as a nod to the mantra of thousands of subreddits and countless users that protested Reddit’s API policy changes and subsequent treatment of protesting users), is a reminder of the wounds the Reddit community is still licking.
Reddit’s branding refresh
In a blog post Wednesday, Reddit said that it’s updating its branding in order to “help better reflect how our growing user base uses Reddit” and to help its global users “continue engaging in conversations with each other.”
Long story short: Snoo, Reddit’s mascot, is now 3D and can have thumbs. That refreshed Snoo head is part of Reddit’s logo, which also features a new typeface called Reddit Display. Reddit Display suits “bold, expressive headlines,” according to Reddit’s blog.
Reddit also introduced Reddit Sans, which it plans to open source. Reddit Sans is said to be “built for the internet, with clear, understandable letterforms,” and is also versatile. Reddit also said the font has “large x-height for readability and disambiguated letterforms for rapid identification” and improved accessibility.
Reddit’s new typefaces.
Reddit’s announcement also discussed new conversation bubble colors, like “LimeGreen” and “JuniperBlue,” to accompany Reddit’s signature color, “OrangeRed.” Reddit thinks the new mononymous hues will give Reddit’s brand “a more distinct look.”
Finally, Reddit wants to be the “heart of the internet,” rather than the “front page of the internet.”
Rumored IPO
Reddit’s branding updates were followed by self-praise for “internationalization efforts” as Reddit tries to grow its user base outside of the US. Reddit’s blog post today said this has been a priority over the past three years and that Reddit wants to “bring an international-first mindset to our broader growth efforts.” From January 1 through September 30, 20 percent of Reddit’s advertising revenue came from non-US advertisers, Reddit said.
