TikTok first launched in China in September 2016 under the name Douyin (Chinese: 抖音). It was developed by ByteDance, a Beijing-based internet technology company founded in 2012. Douyin quickly gained popularity in China as a social media app for creating and sharing short videos. By 2018, Douyin had over 500 million monthly active users in China.
In September 2017, ByteDance launched a version of the app for markets outside of China under the name TikTok. TikTok became available to download in major markets like the US, UK, India, and parts of Southeast Asia. The app started to gain immense popularity globally thanks to its fun features for creating and sharing short videos. As of 2022, TikTok has been downloaded over 3 billion times worldwide.
TikTok’s growth and popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. As of February 2023, it has over 1.5 billion monthly active users globally. It is one of the most downloaded apps in the world and has become a leading platform for viral entertainment and culture.
Original TikTok Logo
The original TikTok logo was designed for the app’s launch as Douyin (抖音) in China in September 2016. The logo featured the company name “Douyin” in black bold sans serif font on a white background. According to the Wikipedia article on the Douyin logo File:Douyin logo – Wikipedia, the logo was designed by an unnamed creator and featured a simple, minimalist aesthetic.
The two-tone logo used bold sans serif typography, with each Chinese character of the brand name Douyin (抖音) in wide black lettering. The logo design centered the name vertically and horizontally, with ample white space surrounding the centered black text. This created a balanced, uncluttered look.
The logo’s black and white color scheme evoked a sense of boldness and modern simplicity. The thick black typography and lack of additional visual elements allowed the name itself to make maximum impact. Overall, the original logo design was clean and straightforward, putting the focus directly on the Douyin name.
Rebranding as TikTok
When TikTok first launched in China in September 2016, it was called Douyin (Chinese: 抖音; pinyin: Dǒuyīn). However, when the app expanded outside of China in 2017, the parent company ByteDance decided to rebrand it as TikTok for the international market.
The new logo design for TikTok featured the app name in bold black lettering on a white background. According to the rebranding announcement, the TikTok name was chosen to reflect the short-video format that set the app apart. The rebranding also allowed the company to separate the app’s identity in China versus overseas.
The rebranding to TikTok was a key strategy that fueled the app’s rapid growth globally. By creating a distinct brand and tailored content for international audiences, TikTok was able to attract hundreds of millions of new users outside of China.
Sources:
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/rebrand?lang=en
https://quillandco.design/tiktok-rebrands/
Logo Design Elements
The TikTok logo incorporates several design elements that reflect the app’s musical and creative nature. The most prominent element is the musical note that forms the body of the “T” in the wordmark. This musical note reflects TikTok’s focus on music, songs, and sounds in the videos created on the platform. According to TikTok’s blog, the musical note was inspired by the app’s designer attending rock concerts and wanting to capture that musical energy (https://careers.tiktok.com/blog/detail/136).
The play button symbol also featured next to the musical note reinforces the app’s association with starting, pausing, and controlling video playback. The play button hints that TikTok is a video platform centered around sound and motion. The rounded edges give the play button a softer, more approachable aesthetic.
The color palette of black, white, and shades of light blue evokes a crisp, modern, and minimalist style. The cool blue tones are commonly associated with creativity, calmness, and focus. This reflects the app’s goal of providing a canvas for users to express themselves creatively through short videos. The font choice is simple, clean, and sans-serif which matches the minimalist aesthetic (https://designbro.com/blog/brand-logos/tiktok-logo-evolution/).
Changing Logos
The TikTok logo has undergone several changes since the app first launched in 2016. Originally called Douyin in China, the app was rebranded to TikTok for its international launch in 2017. Along with the name change came a complete redesign of the logo.
The original Douyin logo featured a music note symbol and the Chinese characters for the company name. However, for TikTok’s global branding, the designers wanted something more minimalistic and universal. They created a new logo using plain black text spelling out the name TikTok in a bold, sans-serif font.
In 2019, TikTok introduced an updated logo, replacing the strictly text-based logo with a stylized version. The new logo brought back some of Douyin’s musical style, incorporating two sound waves in the background behind the name. This helped connect the logo to the app’s musical and video sharing features. The font also changed to a rounded, friendlier style.
Most recently in 2022, TikTok did another subtle redesign to their logo, simplifying it to just the name in black against a white background. According to [Source 1], this pared down look helps the logo be more legible and recognizable across various contexts and backgrounds. While the logo continues to evolve, the basic wordmark style creates consistency for the globally known brand.
Cultural Impact
The TikTok logo has become an icon in pop culture and internet memes. The simple, distinct design of the logo makes it highly recognizable and easily replicable. According to TikTok, there are over 12 billion views of videos using the #popculture hashtag, indicating the app’s strong association with popular culture.
As Main Street Magazine reports, “TikTok song” has become a common term referring to songs that gain popularity on the platform. The app has had a major impact on music trends, fashion, and internet humor. TikTok challenges often use the logo as a prop or incorporate it into dance moves. The minimalist logo design lends itself well to parody and being photoshopped into meme images.
The widespread use of the logo in memes and viral videos has made it recognizable to many internet users globally, even those not on the app. Its simplicity and association with youth culture have cemented its status as a pop culture icon.
Accessibility
The TikTok logo and visual identity aim to be highly accessible and usable for people with visual impairments or other disabilities. The simple, high-contrast design helps make the app identifiable even for those with low vision. According to TikTok’s accessibility guidelines, the logo was designed for legibility, with ample spacing between elements and avoidance of intricate detail that could make it hard to decipher (TikTok Accessibility).
The logo uses a bold, blocky font and thick lines that hold their shape and visual impact at both large and small sizes. This adherence to strong, recognizable silhouettes makes the logo distinguishable without relying solely on color, a key aspect of accessibility (TikTok Help Center). The color scheme also provides high contrast between the red logo and white background, important for visibility. Overall, the TikTok logo sets a standard for accessibly designed brand identity.
Comparison to Competitors
The TikTok logo differs notably from the logos of other major social media competitors like Instagram and Snapchat. While the TikTok logo features vibrant colors and a unique asymmetric design, the Instagram logo relies on a minimalist camera glyph and the Snapchat logo centers around a white ghost. According to an article on The Next Web, Instagram has gone so far as to deprioritize recommending Reels videos that include the TikTok logo. This demonstrates how prominent and recognizable the TikTok branding has become, to the point where competitors feel threatened. The TikTok logo’s bold, youthful look sets it apart and aligns with the app’s fun, quirky identity.
Legal Protection
TikTok takes legal protection of its brand and intellectual property seriously. The TikTok logo and name are trademarks owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance Ltd. According to Justia, ByteDance filed for the “TIK TOK” trademark in April 2018, which covers downloadable software for video creation and sharing https://trademarks.justia.com/878/88/tik-87888634.html.
TikTok has mechanisms in place for reporting trademark infringement or counterfeiting on the platform. Users can report potential violations by tapping the Share button on a video, then selecting “Report” and choosing “Trademark and counterfeiting” as the issue https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/trademark-and-counterfeiting.
TikTok also provides Brand and Use Guidelines that prohibit unauthorized use of TikTok’s trademarks and logos. Developers and partners must adhere to these rules and cannot utilize TikTok branding without permission https://developers.tiktok.com/doc/getting-started-design-guidelines?enter_method=left_navigation.
Conclusion
The TikTok logo has gone through an interesting evolution since the app’s early days as Musical.ly. Originally featuring a music note with a play button, the logo was rebranded to the current minimalist TikTok wordmark logo in 2018. This simple black text on a white background makes the app easily recognizable and lends itself well to the short-form viral videos TikTok is known for.
The logo change also signified the app’s shift from primarily lipsyncing videos to the huge variety of content shared today. With its quirky videos and challenges, TikTok has become a global phenomenon and its logo is now instantly familiar worldwide. The minimalist design allows users’ content to take center stage rather than the branding.
While simple, the TikTok logo is also unique and legally protected. The distinct stylized text helps it stand out from competitors in the social video space. Overall, the TikTok logo represents the app’s fun, creative spirit and its emergence as a platform for self-expression through short videos.
