Spotify's logo design 'self indulgent' says Smith & Milton group creative director Steve Anderson
Spotify's logo design has been described as "self indulgent" by Smith & Milton's group creative director and judge at this year's The Drum Design Awards; Steve Anderson.
Speaking about the new green logo, which was released by the online music streaming company yesterday before asking users to re-download the app to use it, Anderson said; "It's simply created work for its app users who will undoubtedly be asking: What does it mean for me? Why should I care? Unfortunately they’ve been given little reason to.
“Spotify should have packaged up a range of updates, including some of benefit to app users, and communicated these openly with a focus on the positives: a new interface or additional features, not just a new colour," he continued.
However Anderson also described the minty green logo as "a good change of colour" which was “much less mushy pea."
He elaborated: "It’s brighter, fresher and cleaner, and has more standout against the black backdrop, against which it now sits flatly. Interestingly, this is in keeping with the look and feel of Google and Apple – in fact, most of the big tech giants - which have moved to a flat-graphic system. However, the execution of the three middle broadcast lines still lacks elegance and the type is nondescript too.
“It’s easy for tech brands to make minor adjustments to their apps or sites because it’s a small estate to change, and with that, a tendency for little thought to be given to how they launch these changes. Spotify is a classic case.”
Spotify moved to defend the download strategy following much social media criticism.