Netflix has come a long way since the the company’s humble beginnings as a mail-order DVD rental service nearly two decades ago. Not long after launching on-demand streaming in the late aughts, Netflix set its sights on original content. After the political drama House of Cards first debuted in 2013, it was soon followed by original series such as Orange is the New Black, the fourth season of the former Fox sitcom Arrested Development, Bloodline, and so on and so forth.
In recent years however, the catalog of Netflix Originals have exploded, with dozens of series, standup specials, and even feature-length films starting in 2015. Although the streaming service continues to license content (such as the popular long-running sitcom Friends, which it recently shelled out a pretty penny for) Netflix’s originals have arguably overshadowed everything else, thanks in part to pop culture phenomenons like Stranger Things and Bird Box.
So it only makes sense that Netflix would adapt its logo to reflect it’s growing catalog of original content. On Friday the company announced the change on its See What’s Next Twitter account with “some personal news.”
“Starting today there’s a new logo animation before our originals,” the company tweeted. “It shows the spectrum of stories, languages, fans, & creators that make Netflix beautiful — now on a velvety background to better set the mood.”
“And before you ask: no, the sound isn’t changing,” it added, to the undoubted relief of thousands of subscribers.
SOME PERSONAL NEWS: Starting today there's a new logo animation before our originals. It shows the spectrum of stories, languages, fans, & creators that make Netflix beautiful — now on a velvety background to better set the mood.
And before you ask: no, the sound isn’t changing pic.twitter.com/itwYXRe6ZF
— Netflix Queue (@netflixqueue) February 1, 2019
The new animation will be attached to all originals that premiere on or after February 1 and be retroactively added to your favorite Netflix originals over the coming months. pic.twitter.com/06WoXt6Yks
— Netflix Queue (@netflixqueue) February 1, 2019
Tinkering with a logo can be treading precarious grounds, but so far the reception has gone over fairly well since the announcement:
Aesthetically pleasing. I love it. https://t.co/Js5QCg2nlE
— Pam Chvotkin, Storyteller (@reddusfoximus) February 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/BEASTMODE/status/1091362860276609025
give your graphic designer a raise this is so beauthfully made; smooth transition, perfectly synced with sound and the message the amount of strips and colors send is uplifting and encouraging us to be more open to diversity of any kind.
thank you for choosing this!
— shay (@shayaronnie) February 1, 2019
This is a thing of beauty. 😍
— LAdynerds (@LAdynerdsLA) February 1, 2019
That’s gorgeous. Bravo to the animators.
— David Walker (@walkerdavide) February 1, 2019
The last time Netflix upgraded its logo was back in 2014, when it replaced the white letters with a black outline on a red background to the much more streamlined version it uses today.