Uber logo redesign: before-and-after evaluation
How Uber's 2018 wordmark compares with the 2016 bit-and-atom identity, what changed in the vector artwork, and what to check before using any Uber logo file.
Contents
The short answer
The Uber redesign most people mean is the 2018 identity change. Uber replaced its 2016 system, a bold uppercase UBER wordmark paired with an abstract "bit and atom" app icon and region-specific colours and patterns, with a title-case "Uber" wordmark set in a custom typeface called Uber Move. The new identity uses a black-and-white palette, and the app icon carries the wordmark itself. In editorial terms, the 2018 version is the more practical logo. It is easier to read, easier to recognise at small sizes and simpler to reproduce as vector artwork. The 2016 system had a more distinctive concept, but it relied on a symbol many users did not connect with the brand and on many regional variants that were harder to keep consistent.
Which versions are being compared
- 2009: The company launched as UberCab, with a wordmark built around that name.
- 2011: The name was shortened to Uber, with an uppercase wordmark.
- 2016: The "bit and atom" identity arrived, with a heavier uppercase wordmark, a geometric app icon, and country-specific colour palettes and patterns.
- 2018: Uber adopted the title-case wordmark in the custom Uber Move typeface, a black-and-white palette, and an app icon based on the wordmark.
This evaluation treats the 2016 identity as the "before" and the 2018 identity as the "after." It does not cover any later changes to the primary logo.
Before and after at a glance
| Attribute | 2016 identity (before) | 2018 identity (after) |
| Wordmark case | Uppercase UBER | Title-case Uber |
| Typeface | Custom uppercase letterforms | Custom Uber Move typeface |
| Colour | Black and white core, with regional colour palettes | Black and white |
| App icon | Abstract bit-and-atom symbol | Icon based on the wordmark |
| Regional variation | Country-specific colours and patterns | One consistent mark |
| Vector reproduction (editorial judgement) | More artwork variants to manage; patterns add complexity | Few solid shapes in one colour; straightforward to scale |
What changed in the artwork, and why it matters in practice
The 2018 wordmark is made of solid letterforms with no gradients, textures or interior patterns. As vector artwork, a mark like this reduces to a small number of closed filled paths in a single colour. It scales cleanly from an app icon to a vehicle decal. It reverses easily from black-on-white to white-on-black, and it survives single-colour processes such as embroidery, vinyl cutting and one-colour print. These are general properties of that kind of construction, not measurements of an official file.
The 2016 system was harder to manage as a set of assets. The bit-and-atom icon itself was geometric and simple, but the regional patterns and palettes multiplied the number of approved variants. Each variant had to be prepared, distributed and checked. Patterned fills also tend to need more paths and more care at small sizes, where fine detail can fill in or turn into visual noise.
The trade-off is distinctiveness. A plain black wordmark depends heavily on its custom letterforms and on consistent use to feel ownable. The 2016 symbol was more unusual, but an icon that does not clearly signal the brand undermines the main job of an app icon, which is to be found quickly on a crowded home screen. On balance, the 2018 direction favours recognition and reproduction over conceptual storytelling. For a logo that has to work across a mobile app, vehicles, signage and partner materials, that is a sound priority.
Checking whether an Uber logo file is actually vector
Many downloadable Uber logos are labelled as SVG, EPS, AI or PDF. None of these extensions guarantees editable vector paths. Any of them can wrap an embedded raster image, and some sites serve a PNG or JPG preview that looks identical to the vector version. Open the file in a vector editor and check the following before relying on it.
- In outline or wireframe view, the wordmark should appear as path outlines. If you see an empty box or an image placeholder, the artwork is an embedded raster.
- Select the letters. If they behave as live text, the file depends on the Uber Move typeface being installed. Without it, a substitute font will render and the logo will be wrong.
- Zoom in well past normal size. True vector edges stay sharp, while embedded raster artwork shows pixels or blurring.
- Confirm which version you have. Files mixing the 2016 uppercase wordmark with 2018 materials are a common source of inconsistency.
- Check that colours are true black and white and are not near-black values introduced by conversion or tracing.
Downloading is not the same as permission to use
Finding an Uber logo file on a download site does not grant any right to use it. The Uber name and logos are trademarks, and permission to use them for partner, press or commercial purposes comes from Uber and its brand guidelines, not from the site hosting the file. Uber Move is a proprietary custom typeface, so having a logo file does not mean you hold a licence to the font. Modifying the artwork, for example recolouring it, redrawing it or building a "redesign concept" on top of it, is a separate question from downloading or displaying it. Commercial or promotional use of a modified mark carries more trademark risk than referencing the unmodified logo in editorial commentary. If the use is anything beyond discussion or critique, check Uber's official brand resources or get legal advice.
Gaps in this assessment
This evaluation is based on the publicly documented history and visible design of the 2016 and 2018 identities. No official Uber source files were inspected, so this article makes no specific claims about path counts, anchor points, file sizes or exact colour values. Where the article judges legibility, recognition or ease of reproduction, those are editorial assessments, not results of testing.