It’s not just you: Snapchat does suddenly look different.
Tucked away in an update deployed yesterday, the ephemeral photo messaging app completely changed the font on the contact list and Stories page, shifting away from Helvetica to a font called Avenir. (The texting toolbar font remains unchanged).
At least Snapchat is just being true to its whole modus operandi: Nothing lasts forever. Still, cue the freak out.
People didn’t care for the change, with 74 percent of nearly 3,000 mentions of it online trending negative according to Brandwatch. “Many negative mentions talk about how the new font makes the app look like another operating system or style of phone,” Kellan Terry, a Brandwatch analyst, told Digiday, as evidenced by these tweets:
Hate the new snapchat feel like I have a Samsung with the font
— Abby (@abbyfent17) March 9, 2016
the new font of the snapchat update got me feelin like i have an android
— Gadielle (@GadielleErin) March 9, 2016
this new font feels like I’m using snapchat on a blackberry
— Jerome Billingham (@Jeromebilll) March 9, 2016
For a second I thought my phone was an Android when I saw the new Snapchat font and I almost threw up
— ellyeah (@ewershizzle) March 9, 2016
Within the reactions, women accounted for 63 percent of negative feedback: The phrases “hate the new Snapchat font” and the “font is disgusting” was repeated more often by women than men.
Snapchat is the latest brand to cause a meltdown on social media because of a minor design tweak. It joins Spotify, which recently changed the color of its signature green, and Apple, which released a new font on iOS 9. Both changes were slammed online before people got used to it.
“Negative mentions will accumulate simply because updates alter user experience, no matter how slightly,” Terry said. “Users become comfortable with how an app works, and when an update changes anything, people go to social media to air their grievances.”
Snapchat didn’t immediately respond for comment.
More in Media
Ad Tech Briefing: The futility of a Google breakup?
The chameleon-like nature of the master of ad tech means effective remedies require serious thought. `
The Economist is looking beyond traffic to measure the success of its brand marketing push
One year into The Economist’s brand marketing push, the company is prioritizing metrics such as brand lift and awareness over traffic.
How Time evaluates and vets AI tools
Time has evaluated “dozens and dozens” of AI tools to determine what could be a good fit for the company. CTO Burhan Hamid shares what goes into that process.