YouTube on Tuesday officially announced the first logo change in its history, in addition to debuting a major redesign of both its desktop and mobile apps. The Google-owned video streaming service has been experimenting with a refreshed aesthetic for several months now but is now distributing it to users all around the world, with the rollout being expected to take a few way to be completed.
The mobile app has been entirely revamped as part of YouTube’s latest move, boasting a clean aesthetic which adheres to Google’s own Material Design guidelines. The app’s header is now white and consequently isn’t as attention-grabbing, which was a conscious change intended to put content at the forefront of the service, the company said. The app was also ennobled with the additions of the Account and Library sections which the firm is hoping will do a better job of categorizing YouTube’s many functionalities and consequently allow users to navigate the service in a swifter manner, hence spending more time enjoying content than trying to make the app do what they want it to. The YouTube mobile app can now also be used for regulating the playback speed of videos, which Google’s subsidiary suggested was one of the most requested desktop features users wanted to see on their smartphones and tablets. The latest version of YouTube for Android also supports the quick rewind and fast-forward gestures that the company introduced earlier this year, with YouTube stating that more similar control methods will debut in the near future. One such functionality will soon allow users to swipe right to watch the next video on a playlist or a suggestions list or swipe left to return to the previous one.
YouTube is also currently in the process of adapting its player to various aspect ratios, with the firm promising that the mobile app will be able to do so shortly in an automated manner in an effort to provide users with the best possible experience and do away with traditional black bars. Another notable change that’s soon set to debut in YouTube will strive to better utilize the area below the video player in an effort to allow you to discover new content in more ways, the company said. The YouTube Desktop app is presently also being updated with a new look that brings it in line with the Material Design vision after months of testing and analyzing user feedback. Much like its mobile counterpart, the browser version of YouTube was streamlined to a significant degree with the goal of placing a much higher emphasis on content, with the majority of its extra functionalities being either repositioned or made less eye-drawing in another way.
Finally, the new YouTube logo and icon are meant to denote a new chapter for YouTube that’s now present on a much wider variety of devices than it was when it launched in 2005. The wordmark and icon of the service have been simplified to match the overall new design of the service, with the final result being significantly more flexible and suitable for displaying on a broader range of screens, from largest TVs to smallest smartphones, the company suggested. The latter refers to the multi-faceted nature of the logo that now has an abbreviated version which will automatically be displayed on smaller screens, whereas its full variant that can be seen above is now reserved for other offerings. Not all of Google’s apps with YouTube integration already feature the new logo of the service, though the firm promised to update its software portfolio in the near future.
The most popular online video platform on the planet described the new logo as a natural evolution of its platform which changed a lot over the years and continues to do so, adding that the company is only at the beginning of its ambitious endeavors which saw it diversify its offerings in a significant manner in recent times. Given the amount of effort that went into YouTube’s new look, it’s to be presumed that the Google-owned company will stick with this aesthetic for years to come and start adding new features to complement this design. The move is also yet another signal that the Mountain View, California-based Internet giant sees Material Design as the future of its software services and will continue supporting it going forward.
