If you happened to visit YouTube on Monday (which isn't unlikely, what with it being the second most-visited website in the world), you might have noticed an unfamiliar logo. To mark Black History Month (BHM), the company has announced that Black artists will reimagine the site's logo every week in February.
A new design will appear on the site every Monday, with Brazil-based artist Leandro Assis's interpretation adorning the homepage at the start of this week. Assis's logo (below) features the familiar red play button, but with stylised 'BHM' lettering replacing the standard YouTube wordmark. (Check out our best free fonts if you're looking for typographical inspiration).
Leandro Assis's logo design (Image credit: YouTube)
Along with the new logos, the artists' work will also appear on YouTube's own profile page (by which we mean YouTube's YouTube channel). Assis's banner design for the channel (below) is a delightful collage of colourful text and illustrated stickers and symbols.
"What inspired me to create this piece were the Black people around me," Assis tells YouTube in a blog post introducing the new BHM project. "The meaning and importance of our hair, the way we dance, the rhythms we create, and the beauty of our different skin tones."
"During Black History Month, we will celebrate Black stories, voices and culture that have contributed to creativity and innovation on YouTube and throughout the world," the company explains. "We've got a host of exciting activities planned and are starting off the month by championing artwork from Black guest artists who are sharing what Black creativity means to them."
From Cola-Cola to Kit-Kat, we've seen various brands experiment with removing or replacing their logos in recent months (and we've already seen what will surely turn out to be some of the worst logos of 2022). But YouTube's effort might just be our favourite yet – not only is it helping viewers discover and explore the work of Black artists, but it is also giving that work one of the hugest platforms on the web. We're excited to see which artist's work is showcased next week.
If YouTube's new campaign has inspired you to up your digital illustrating game, these AdobeIllustrator tutorials are a brilliant place to start. And when it comes to drawing and sketching, you can't go wrong with an iPad and Apple Pencil – take a look at today's best deals below.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
