Twitter revealed today a makeover of the company's ubiquitous blue bird logo, which saw their mascot (formerly named Larry after the Bird) transformed from a bird that looked like how it used to look into a bird that still looks like how it used to look.

The innovation was announced on Twitter's official blog, as though a single blog post, or website, or Internet could ever convey all the beautiful subtleties of the change.

How do you taste a poem? How do you make love to a rainbow? How do you describe the new Twitter bird logo?

Doug Bowman, the company's Creative Director (whose Twitter handle is @stop—BUT WHY?) attempted to.

For one thing, Bowman notes that, like a fine five-dollar bottle of artisanal water, the new bird "is crafted purely from three sets of overlapping circles," a concept which he subsequently expands into some bull about how circles are your friends where ideas are shapes and wings take dream.

The complete list of bird inspirations, per Bowman:

  • "love for ornithology"
  • "design within creative constraints"
  • "simple geometry"

The post, which features a video of the new logo existing, even manages to work in a spot of propaganda from Big Bird (not "Big Bird"):

Whether soaring high above the earth to take in a broad view, or flocking with other birds to achieve a common purpose, a bird in flight is the ultimate representation of freedom, hope and limitless possibility.

Those with further questions about the new logo are directed to visit the Twitter brand resources page, which boasts a long list of usage guidelines laying out everything you absolutely cannot do with the Twitter bird, accompanied by a helpful illustration.

Per the illustration, you absolutely cannot:

  • add a gray speech bubble next to the bird that makes it appear as if the bird is talking or smoking hookah
  • make the bird be upside down
  • reunite the bird with his bird family
  • change the bird to a better color
  • give the bird a small gray ledge on which to perch
  • transform the bird into a bubble letter "t" or the word "twitter"
  • give the bird eyes and legs and a song in his heart
  • make the bird look the way he used to even though no one would notice

The company also asks that users not manipulate the bird, because he trusts you and he's too young and beautiful to be hurt like that.

In fact, the biggest change appears to be that the company is now eliminating bubble-text representations of the word "twitter" (and the letter "t") from its branding arsenal.

Instead, Bowman notes (commands?), the bird alone will now "be the universally recognizeable symbol of twitter."

He then adds, with parenthetical cult-like intensity, "(Twitter is the bird, the bird is Twitter.)"

So memorize the sigil, all ye wretches.

[Twitter via Adweek]