Reddit Logo

Reddit Logo PNG

The Reddit logo has its own face and watches what users post. The emblem is friendly. Shows that they are always ready to read and evaluate the participants’ messages. The sign promises communication and a fair count of votes.

Meaning and History

The main symbol of the platform is a funny and friendly alien Snoo. It was conceived and drawn by Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of the social network, registered under the nickname kn0thing. This happened in 2005 when he got bored in a marketing lesson at the University of Virginia. Arriving home, Alexis transferred the sketch from his notebook to digital format using an old jailbroken PlayStation Portable 5.0 console.

A little later, an aspiring artist finalized the sketch and then incorporated it into the official Reddit logo. So, the image of a smiling little man has evolved from doodles in the margins to the famous online platform’s symbol. The creator wanted to name the alien S’new (part of the phrase “what’s new”) but changed his mind and gave him a consonant name Snoo.

What is Reddit?

Reddit is a site that combines forum and social networking functionality. Registered users post links to interesting information and discuss it.

2005 – 2017

The news site’s first logo consists of two elements: a full-length Snoo and a Reddit caption. The original character has an oval head, semi-oval torso, semi-circular ears, legs, and arms. He also has a long antenna with a circle, which gives him an alien from another planet. The social media mascot is completely white, except for the orange eyes. Each part of the body is outlined with a separate black line. The creature smiles affably, emitting a desire to communicate and find new friends.

The word “Reddit” is on the right and is written in lowercase. Alexis Ohanian chose a bold font with rounded corners to showcase the friendly aspect of the social network. The dot above the “i” looks like a white circle surrounded by a black ring. This text mark appeared a long time ago but is still used in the online platform’s classic interface.

2017 – 2023

In 2017, a small redesign was carried out, leaving one head from the Snoo. She, as before, is painted white. The eyes and smile are the same color as the large orange circle that serves as the background. The inscription has become visually smaller. The small circle above the “i” resembles the alien eye from the first logo.

Every “Redditor” knows the mascot of his favorite social network – the sweet and good-natured alien Snoo from the alien race Snoos. According to legend, he flew to Earth to get to know people better, observe them, and communicate. The original character reflects the core values ​​of Reddit: friendliness, openness, informational content, and sociability. Moreover, it was born before the site appeared and for a long time, existed in the form of a sketch. Alexis Ohanian included it in the logo for fun.

Interestingly, the social network allows users to edit the graphic part of the first logo freely. That is why Snoo is colorless – to make it easier for Redditors to create their versions of the picture for subreddits. There are only three restrictions here: the head must remain white, the eyes must be orange, and there must be no fingers on the hands.

Alexis Ohanian chose VAG Rounded for the logo. It lacks corners and serifs. Another distinctive feature of the Reddit caption is the circle above the letter “i”: it can be black and white or completely orange. All these nuances reflect the friendliness of the brand. The full palette of the emblem consists of three colors: orange-red (# FF4500), white (#FFFFFF), and black (# 000000).

2023 – today

The comprehensive brand refresh of Reddit, led by Pentagram New York and Natasha Jen’s team, represents a significant evolution in the site’s visual identity, marking its most extensive overhaul to date. This redesign encompasses several key changes:

• Introduction of a New Custom Font Family: The team introduced ‘Reddit Sans,’ a custom font family, enhancing the platform’s textual presentation.
• Streamlined Color Palette: A more cohesive and streamlined color palette has been implemented, bringing the brand a fresh and modern look.
• Transformation of Snoo: Snoo, Reddit’s central mascot, has undergone a notable transformation, being rendered in 3D for the first time. This change modernizes Snoo and adds a unique flair, with a thumbs-up gesture enhancing its distinctiveness.
• New Logo Design: The new logo features Snoo’s head within a bright red chat bubble, visible on Reddit’s website. This design shift marks a return to Snoo’s original form, including its body and opposable thumbs, contrasting with the previous flat design. The 3D treatment of Snoo, with red, pupil-less eyes and a black mouth and antenna, maintains its alien character while ensuring it remains visually impactful across various sizes.
• Evolution of Snoo’s Design: Snoo, originally sketched by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian during his college years at the University of Virginia, has evolved from a simple, single-color flat drawing to a sophisticated 3D rendering. This redesign is a blend of creativity and technology, reminiscent of characters from Disney/Pixar. The design successfully maintains Snoo’s alien essence while avoiding over-humanization.
• Debate over Speech Bubble in Icon: The decision to place Snoo’s icon inside a speech bubble has been met with mixed reactions. While it serves to distinguish Snoo from white backgrounds, some view it as an unnecessary addition, especially given the speech bubbles’ presence in the ‘d’ counter space of the wordmark. Concerns have been raised about these elements appearing overly whimsical and potentially losing clarity at smaller sizes.
• Typography Choices: Despite its corporate feel, the choice of a geometric sans serif font is seen as a balanced counterpart to the friendly new icon. However, there is some critique about the lack of innovation in this choice, suggesting a missed opportunity for a more distinctive typographic character.

Font and Colors

The introduction of Reddit Sans and Reddit Display fonts on Reddit reflects a deliberate effort to modernize and revitalize the platform’s typography. These fonts represent a fusion of traditional and modern design elements, enhancing the brand’s visual identity.

A combination of traditional humanistic proportions and modern aesthetics characterizes Reddit Sans. This balance creates a sense of familiarity while bringing a touch of innovation. The font is an important part of Reddit’s strategy to introduce a more modern and versatile typographic style aimed at catering to the diverse and dynamic nature of the community.

Complementing Reddit Sans is the Reddit Display font, which adds an extra level of uniqueness to the brand’s typography. This font incorporates geometric patterns and speech bubbles in certain letters such as “a,” “b,” “d,” “g,” “p,” and “q.” This creative touch is a stylistic choice and an indication that Reddit is a platform for conversation and discussion.

Reddit’s logo update retained the iconic bright orange color to maintain continuity with the brand’s visual heritage. The new design features subtle variations of orange hues, especially in the eye details, and black has been added to the main symbol. This subtle color scheme enhances the logo’s visual appeal, making it more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing.

Reddits color codes