Facebook rebrands and reveals a new logo

This week Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the social technology company will be changing their name to ‘Meta’ - along with a new logo consisting of a distorted infinity loop. 

Meta will bring together all of the companies apps and technologies under one new company brand. The brand will focus on bringing the metaverse to life and helping people connect, find communities and grow businesses.

What is the metaverse you may be asking?

The word metaverse is a word combining ‘meta’ and ‘universe’, which portrays a fully immersive online realm that looks similar to the real world but is completely computer-generated. It may have dawned on you that you have heard this already? It's a frequently used plotline used in many science fiction movies such as; The Matrix and Ready Player One.

A founders letter was sent out on 28th October stating; “The metaverse will feel like a hybrid of today’s online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions or projected into the physical world. It will let you share immersive experiences with other people even when you can’t be together — and do things together you couldn’t do in the physical world.”

What is the state of today's metaverse?

What is the state of today's metaverse? So unlike The Matrix or Ready Player One, today's technology is still a bit away from the lifelike virtual worlds. Although users will be able to immerse themselves into digital environments through VR headsets, hand-held devices and computers, these environments are more catered to video games. 

There is no denying when Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way the world connected with other people. Apps such as Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further enhanced the way we interact with each other. 

Now Meta is moving beyond 2D screens and towards immersive 3D worlds to help build the next evolution of Social Technologies.

What do we think of the rebrand?

In a recent article, Meta explained the rebrand in more detail from the colour palette to the stylised shape that doubles up as an M for meta, as well as an infinity symbol. Using a number of animations, Meta demonstrates the versatility of the rebrand, along with some hidden features that you may have missed at first glance. 

Meta explained that “the Meta symbol was designed to dynamically live in the metaverse - where you can move through it and around it. It can take on infinite textures, colours and movement, capturing the creativity and imagination of a 3D world.” Which reflects the endless layers of the metaverse. Meta also points out that the blue gradient used in the logo takes inspiration from their core products (I.E. Facebook) which they explain is "connecting our future to our company’s origins."

So, why the infinity symbol?

According to the dictionary “The infinity symbol, a figure eight on its side, variously signifies the concept of limitlessness or eternity, especially as used notationally in mathematics and metaphorically with respect to love.” 

Ideas of everlastingness have been portrayed in the art world by the ouroboros symbol. Depicted as two snakes entwined and sometimes making the figure 8 shape or a circle. 

The ouroboros is most commonly interpreted as a representation of the cycle of life and death, although it has had different meanings across many cultures and religions. One of those meanings suggests our time on earth may be finite but our souls exist forever. 

As the Metaverse will allow you to immerse yourself into a new world of which you create and bring to life, we feel that the Infinity symbol perfectly represents Meta’s company and its mission statement.

How has everyone else reacted to the rebrand?

For less than a week the rebrand design has made its way around the internet and people have been sharing their thoughts. We all know how brutally honest the internet can be, with someone saying that the new logo looks like a “sad infinity tattoo” and other users saying it looks like male genitalia, which we will let you find yourself. 

It is only the beginning of the next chapter for Meta, but we can not wait to see what they have installed for the future. What do you think of the new rebrand and name change? 

In need of a rebrand yourself? We have some amazing designers here at Blend Commerce. If you are interested, get in touch with us today and let's collaborate on something exciting.