Snapchat Logo PNG
The original visualization features a unique communication service, Snapchat, whose logo is an image of a ghost with a faceless face. This design symbolizes inaccessibility, secrecy, and the masking of transmitted messages.
Snapchat: Brand overview
Meaning and History
The Ghostface Chilian logo appeared when the application was still called Picaboo. It was the brainchild of Evan Spiegel, the platform’s founder. During his speech at the International Festival of Creativity, the Cannes Lions, the 25-year-old billionaire candidly recounted that he came up with the iconic symbol one evening while working on his computer in his bedroom.
Interestingly, the company’s co-founder and CEO named the symbol “Ghostface Chilian” after American rapper Ghostface Killah, a member of the influential gangster music group Wu-Tang Clan. Such a choice is unsurprising, considering Spiegel is a fan of rap music and its performers.
What is Snapchat?
This app and instant messaging system have essentially become a social network. Snapchat appeared in 2011 and initially offered photo sharing, but later introduced the feature of sending posts, known as stories. The program is designed for iOS and Android mobile platforms.
2011 – 2013
The first Snapchat logo replicates the Picaboo icon. It depicts a smiling ghost with a protruding tongue, a round head, two short arms, and an irregular base. It resembles the classic sheet costume for Halloween.
2013 – 2019
In the new logo, the ghost became faceless. According to the app’s owners, every user is the face of Snapchat. However, skeptics suspect entirely different reasons for the redesign. In their opinion, changes to the graphic sign are related to a lawsuit filed by one of the Picaboo creators regarding a copyright violation.
2019 – today
Snapchat’s most infamous logo update marked 2019. The developers made the outline of the ghost thicker and darker, which sparked a wave of criticism. The changes were not announced, but an improved version of the app with bug fixes and a new icon suddenly appeared in the iOS App Store.
This was supposed to go unnoticed, but users noticed the picture immediately. They began submitting petitions and writing negative reviews in the App Store. Many people have deleted Snapchat from their phones because of the ugly icon, in their opinion. In turn, the leaders of Snap Inc. stated that the thick outline makes the logo more noticeable and attractive.
Font and Colors
The appearance of the Ghostface Chilian mascot is associated with Picaboo. If you split this word into logical parts, you get “Pic a Boo” and “ghost photo.” Using a cartoon image, the creators of Snapchat initially played with the concept of disappearing photos. Notably, the content is not completely removed from the app: it is saved in memory, but users lose access to it. The ghost logo says, ‘If you don’t see something, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. ‘
A white ghost, outlined in black, is inside a yellow square with rounded corners. Initially, the background was a gradient, with voluminous shadows and highlighting. Then, it became bright and uniform. According to Snap Inc., the shade used is Pantone Yellow U or Hex 0xFFFC00. The developers searched for a suitable color for a long time, studying the logos of their competitors. In the end, they chose yellow because no one else had it.
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snap logo