Reddit, a social networking platform, has undergone a redesign by design company Pentagram, which included a 3D depiction of the brand’s extraterrestrial mascot, Snoo. The goal of Pentagram’s New York office was to produce brand materials that embodied the “utopian ethos” of the website by modernizing the typefaces, mascot, logo, and presentation of conversation threads.
One of the main objectives of the rebrand, spearheaded by Pentagram partner Natasha Jen, was to arrange and harmonize Reddit’s diverse visual components, which have developed naturally over time.
“A utopian ethos runs throughout the brand, seen in the ways that both its employees and community contribute to the company’s visual identity,” stated Pentagram.
The adored mascot of Reddit, Snoo, has seen thousands of incarnations. The intricacy was increased by the company’s exclusive language, which included upvote-downvote processes and ‘r/’ for subreddits.”
“Inherently eclectic, positively different, delightfully absurd, and genuinely candid” were the four characteristics that the studio thought defined the platform and around which the rebranding was centered.
Pentagram incorporated Snoo into “its next act” by producing a 3D version of the mascot and a range of emojis with various expressions.
The alien mascot is a diminutive white character with one antenna, orange eyes, a round tummy, bear-like ears, and an open smile. Matte skin is a hallmark of its 3D progression.
Pentagram produced colorful bubbles that wrap around conversation titles, tags, and other features to provide a consistent visual thread throughout the website, helping to unify the various styles that make up Reddit’s chat threads.
“Beyond typography, the bubble became a key element of the compositional strategy,” Pentagram stated.
“Reddit has a distinctly genuine sensibility to it, expressed in the forms of unique features on the platform and an alien mascot,” Pentagram stated.
“The strategic integration of these key refinements – the evolved form and expression of Snoo, the introduction of the bubble, the creation of Reddit Display, codified motion behaviours, and a streamlined colour palette – collectively reflects Reddit’s unique brand attributes and empowers the company to confidently navigate its next chapter.”
Pentagram has designed a new visual identity for The Moholy-Nagy Foundation and collaborated with child refugees to make a flashlight kit.
