No, It's Not Just You — Twitter Is Looking A Bit 'Wonky' Today

Users of Twitter Inc’s TWTR social media platform can stop rubbing their eyes because they don’t deceive them, it is the website that has changed its font among other changes.

What Happened: The Jack Dorsey-led company tweeted the news of the changed font to its user base on Wednesday. 

okay confirmed it did

— Twitter (@Twitter) August 11, 2021

The font Twitter is using is called “Chirp” — a probable reference to the social network’s overall bird theme.

The font was introduced in January in what Twitter described in a blog as an “art-first approach” to its identity.

“Chirp strikes the balance between messy and sharp to amplify the fun and irreverence of a Tweet, but can also carry the weight of seriousness when needed.”

Even so, not everyone has been left impressed and some are clamoring for a return to less artsy times.

Bitcoin fixes this

— jack (@jack) August 11, 2021

Might be your shift key

— jack (@jack) August 12, 2021

Why It Matters: In the same month Chirp was introduced, Twitter’s creative director Derrit DeRouen said it was his “personal desire” to make thee font the typeface for the “product.”

Do we eventually see Chirp as the typeface for the product? It's my personal desire, and the work on legibility, density and weight has already begun. There is more refining to do, more languages to build, but the hard work will be worth the benefit of having a holistic brand. pic.twitter.com/fDJQpkNnVT

— Derrit DeRouen (@DerritDeRouen) January 27, 2021

Meanwhile, the font isn’t the only change users have to put up with — Twitter said it has “updated” its colors to be high contrast and a “lot less blue,” which it claims draws “attention to the photos and videos you create and share.”

See Also: Twitter Sinks Fleets, The Ephemeral Tweets Feature

A noticeable change is the “Follow” buttons, which are now high contrast and, as per Twitter, will help “you see what actions you’ve taken at a glance.”

Also, all western languages now align to the left, but Twitter said it has left non-western languages unchanged.

Last month,  Twitter announced it was rolling out a subscription service for users in Canada and Australia priced at $2.99 per month. The service includes requested features such as a bookmarks folder and the ability to undo a tweet up to 30 seconds before it gets published.

Price Action: On Wednesday, Twitter shares closed 0.27% lower at $65.46 in the regular session and fell 0.4% in the after-hours trading.

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