tiktok2

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 6

The history of the TikTok logo

The story of TikTok began in 2016, when Chinese company ByteDance


launched an app called A.me that allowed users to create and share short
videos. It was renamed Douyin (抖音) three months later.

In 2017, ByteDance began expanding Douyin outside of China, under the


name TikTok. Later that year, ByteDance acquired Musical.ly, a similar short-
form video app based in Shanghai, with a US office in Santa Monica,
California. Musical.ly let users record lip-syncing videos, and it had an
established user base in the United States. ByteDace folded some of
Musical.ly’s features into TikTok and used the acquisition to expand the app’s
reach to include the US.

During this time, the Douyin logo remained much the same. Created by an
unnamed designer, the original logo started off as a simple “d” shape that
resembled a musical note.

Depending on the context, the logo was either black on a white background or
white on a black background, with accent colors cyan and fuchsia adding the
illusion of movement.

In 2017, when ByteDance launched TikTok globally, the company decided to


add the app’s name to the logo. Originally, the app name was two separate
words: Tik Tok.
The font used for the app’s name originally was a basic sans serif with
squared-off corners. In 2018, the brand revisited the font and created the
TikTok wordmark that remains in use today. This version of the wordmark is
more aesthetically connected to the glyph, with a similar cyan and fuchsia
effect on the “o.” This is how the TikTok logo looks today:

Many large companies undergo relatively large rebrands as they gain initial
success (consider the evolution of Instagram’s logo), but the designers behind
the TikTok logo understand they don’t need to fix what isn’t broken—the logo
has been working well for them from the beginning.

Examining the meaning behind the TikTok logo


Many social media companies utilize big-name design agencies to develop
their brands, but ByteDance had other plans for their app. The genius behind
the TikTok logo is actually an unnamed designer. TikTok shared that a young
man who loves concerts and rock music created the logo to honor the virtual
stage that the platform provides for its creators.

The designer was inspired by the contrast between the darkness of an arena
and the lights on the stage—hence, the black core and bright color palettes
surrounding the central music note. Furthermore, “Douyin” translates to
“shaking sound” or “shaking music,” which is visually illustrated in the logo
design. The musical note was also made to look like a lowercase “d” to evoke
the romanized name of the app.

Why the TikTok logo works


What is it about the TikTok logo that works so well? And how did an amateur
designer create something that has helped the brand elevate its reach
exponentially? Let’s talk psychological design and color theory. The TikTok
logo embraces the bold clarity of black and white, using cyan and fuchsia as
accents.

These eye-catching colors around the periphery of the logo create a sense of
dynamism, and they suggest depth by evoking anaglyph 3D images (although
the logo itself is not designed to be viewed with 3D glasses).

The TikTok logo is distinctive, and it sparks curiosity: its shape is reminiscent
of a musical note, its color scheme suggests a concert stage, and its clean
edges and crisp font bring a sense of immediacy.

Having a logo that people want to talk about works wonders for brand
awareness and reach. It’s part of building a solid brand that helps elevate a
company and reach even more users or customers.

As the TikTok logo has remained largely the same over the years, it’s instantly
recognizable to TikTok users. TikTok created sticky brand recognition with this
design decision.

TikTok: Pros & Cons


Mia Lin
TikTok is an app where users can create and share videos of a multitude of things.

Mina Zetoune, Staff Writer


March 27, 2023
TikTok Pros & Cons

Cons:

It can be addictive:
Teens already spend a lot of time on their devices every day, which have been proven to
impact their brains. According to realresearcher.com, about 68 percent of teens spend
more time on social media than on any other activity, and about 39 percent of teens
own over five social media accounts. If teens are already addicted to technology, then
with Tik Tok, they end up using more screen time.

Damage teenage minds:


The content on the internet can be harmful to the minds of teenagers. 4.67 billion
people use social media daily, and about 1 billion active users monthly on Tik Tok. This
means that anyone has the freedom to post anything they want. Therefore, the content
on the internet may not always be appropriate to the brains of other users.
Can be dangerous:
In many cases, TikTok can be helpful and fun. However, it can also be very dangerous.
TikTok can be an opportunity for people to stalk users in their daily life, which can be
dangerous considering the amount of information that people share about their lives on
the internet. TikTok can also have safety risks like saved user data, and scams.

Prone to cyberbullying:
Posting on TikTok provides the risk of anybody seeing it, and broadcasting their
opinions — including negative commentary — which can then lead to cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying has caused insecurities, low self esteem and even more serious mental
health issues — especially for teenagers.

Pros:

People can teach and learn new skills:


If it’s learning how to draw, how to ride a skateboard without falling down, or how to
paint a tiger, Tik Tok can help users learn from creators. The Tik Tok messaging system
can also help users ask questions about how to do what they’re teaching. It can also
help people interact and bond about things they like about the experience or video.

Increase awareness for new brands:


Tik Tok will often show many ads a lot of the time. These ads can show people about
new products that are released in the app which actually promotes new and helpful
items. There is also now a Tik Tok store which shows places where you can buy items,
as well as an online version of the store.

Entertained with content:


In Tik Tok you can find anything you can think of in a video. You can like and share
videos that you find interesting or funny to friends and family. You can also like and
favorite the videos to show support to your favorite creators. You can also show
support to small creators that just started to help their community grow. Leaving a like
or a nice comment could brighten up the day of a small creator or a friend who’s
posting on Tik Tok, and though there can be and are many negative comments on the
platform, Tik Tok is also a place to spread positivity.
Worldwide audience:
When searching for videos, you might find an idea that you like. This might encourage
you to start your journey into creating videos and content on Tik Tok. When you upload
the videos you can gather a lot of likes, favorites and positive comments. This way, you
can upload things to the world, simply with a phone or tablet, and in five seconds
upload it for the world to see.

You might also like