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Facebook has a new logo, but the differences are subtle

Facebook's last logo update came in 2005, but this year, the folks in Menlo Park felt it was time for a change. While the iconic white "f" and blue square will remain, places where the full name is used will see this new wordmark. Working with Eric Olson of Process Type Foundry, Facebook's in-house designers created custom lettering to make the logo "feel more friendly and approachable," according to creative director Josh Higgins. Olson's Klavika typeface was used in the current mark, and collaborating with him makes sense given the changes. "While we explored many directions, ultimately we decided that we only needed an update, and not a full redesign," Higgins explained. That decision seems like a good move, since the current logo is so recognizable after 10 years of use.

The most obvious difference is the double-story "a" that was swapped out for a single-story character. In general, the letters aren't quite as bold or tall, and as the design-focused site Brand New puts it, the subtle variations between thick and thin are gone. We'd surmise some folks may not notice changes in the finer details, especially since Facebook uses the full logo sparingly, but a trained eye will pick up on the variations after close inspection. Nevertheless, the new version will debut across mobile apps and on the web in the near future.