If you checked in with Twitch recently, chances are you were taken aback by what appeared on your screen. Your eyes were instantly greeted by a familiar layout, but what probably made you tilt your head to the side in amazement and confusion were the distinctive changes. The designers behind Amazon’s popular live streaming service—millions of people watch Twitch streams daily, making it one of the most-visited sites in the United States and globally—let the world know about Twitch’s first major redesign in nearly a decade. Eight years after its 2011 launch, Twitch has undergone a welcome refresh, strategically revealed during TwitchCon, to match the vibrant community that keeps the platform alive.
gaming
Inside Twitch’s Redesign
Amazon’s live streaming service got a surprise makeover
Harry Kane, Maya Jama, Karl-Anthony Towns and BuckArmy at the Twitch Prime Crown Cup in July. Dave Benett/Getty Images
So What’s New with Twitch?
The classic purple color that the brand is synonymous with has been replaced by a visually stronger shade of the same color. The new Twitch purple is brighter, which has been put in place to match Twitch’s livelier energy. The new lettering font has been changed to “Roobert,” which happens to be based on the Moog synthesizer typeface. And now the old wordmark has also been updated with “bold, blocky letterforms that are strong, playful and inspired by a retro gaming aesthetic.” As for the iconic logo (commonly referred to as the “Glitch”), it’s been given a fresh touch-up that still retains the DNA of its former design. Ultimately, the designers have maintained the familiarity while also trying to make everything appear more striking.
In another visual shift, Twitch has added 24 new colors—“nicknamed after iconic games and pop culture characters”—that give streamers more freedom to define their personal brand. A newly added tool called “Creator Color” allows content creators to adopt one of those 24 colors to represent their likeness and branding. As a streamer, you’ll notice your signature color as they “show up in hover states over thumbnails, on browse pages, and even message notifications in the chat.” This decision has been done in accordance with “Twitch Purple,” the striking word logo that sports gradient effects underneath it. Streamers now can use any of the 24 colors to change that effect to fit their personal branding as well. This color alteration can also be applied to the updated wordmark and Glitch logo.
From a visual standpoint, Twitch has taken all the right steps to make sure its typeface, colors and logos pop off the screen. Everything you’re used to seeing on your go-to streaming site/app is still in the same place it was before, although having the option of turning on/off dark mode is a notably worthwhile alteration. What’s been put in place for longtime streamers and loyal viewers is a design that gives Twitch a more powerful mission statement because we all know boldness and flashiness is key in marketing.
“You’re already one of us” is Twitch’s new slogan. It signifies the platform’s welcome mat for incoming streamers who are ready to produce the type of content that helps differentiate Twitch from other live streaming services. With the stable framework put in place and the fresh changes made to the classic design, Twitch’s 2019 facelift is a win-win for everyone involved.
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