A black ring can represent many things – simplicity, a new phase, a void. Whatever its meaning, OpenAI employees would prefer it didn’t represent the company they work for.
In a recent company-wide meeting, staffers of OpenAI got a sneak peak at recent efforts to redesign the typefaces and logo for the company behind ChatGPT and the ongoing tech industry craze for all things generative AI, two people familiar with the company told Fortune. The new logo presented was a simple, large black “O,” easily interpreted as a ring or a zero, as one of the sources described it. Many members of staff were taken aback by the design, which struck some as ominous and lacking in creativity. A few openly voiced their dislike for it during the meeting.
The proposed new logo is an aesthetic shift from the company’s current hexagonal flower symbol, originally conceived by designer Ben Barry as one evoking “precision, potential and optimism.” Given the staff’s strong response and some internal attachment to the current logo, which adorns OpenAI's website and corporate swag such as the t-shirts and stickers beloved by employees, one of the people familiar with matter speculated that the design of the new logo could change again.
The design work is ongoing and being carried out by an internal team, but results of their efforts could be unveiled as soon as next year, one of the people said. Next year is also set to see OpenAI dramatically alter its corporate structure, as Fortune previously reported. Add in a growing focus on revenue and investors, the stage is being set for one of the world's most valuable and well-known generative AI companies to get a makeover in 2025.
The redesign work began about a year ago, one of the people familiar said, around the time OpenAI built out its internal creative and design team with several new hires from creative agencies and fields like graphic design. Part of the impetus for the work is that OpenAI does not own the typefaces it uses for its brand name and website text – they are licensed typefaces created and owned by outside type designers.
OpenAI’s logo, on the other hand, was created internally. In a detailed brand book from September 2022, just a few weeks before the release of ChatGPT and the company’s subsequent explosion in popularity and fame, OpenAI called its logo “our most recognizable brand element” and something that showed its “focused pursuit to create technology that benefits humanity.”
Some of the world's most famous tech companies have gone through a major redesign after hitting household name status. Google and Facebook both created new parent companies, Alphabet and Meta, to sit atop their most famous platforms, creating new logos for both. While Apple has tweaked its iconic apple logo several times over the years.
Spokespeople for OpenAI did not respond to emails seeking comment.
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