Uber may have grown tired of being referred to as a ride-hailing service.
Let's face it, the company is way more than that with its UberRush local deliveries, UberEats food delivery and someday ... autonomous cars.
To reflect that continued growth from a ride-hailing service to an undeniable force in mobility — worth a reported north of $60 billion last October — Uber revealed its new rider app icon Tuesday, as part of the company's total rebranding.
To construct the new rider app icon — and also partner app icon — Uber incorporated the bit and atom in its theme. The bit was added because it represents Uber's technology of being "complex, precise and advanced, but when it's expressed, it's effortless and refined," as described by the company as part of its press release. The atom was added because it represents Uber's "rapidly-improving cities, the good we move from place to place and most importantly the people we serve."
More than anything, though, it was time for Uber to assert that it's more than just ride-sharing cars.
"One of the big changes over the years is that Uber no longer moves just people; we're now moving food, goods, and soon maybe much more. With the potential for many apps with many app icons, we needed one approach that connected them all," Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick wrote as part of the company's announcement.
"So we came back to our story of bits and atoms. You'll see that both rider and driver icons have the bit at the center, and then the local colors and patterns in the background. This is a framework that will also make it easy to develop different icons for new products over time."
Kalanick added: "Today we aspire to make transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere and for everyone. Our new brand reflects that reality by working to celebrate the cities that Uber serves. We're excited to share it with you. And oh yes ... hopefully this haircut lasts a bit longer than the last."
To celebrate all the countries that Uber serves, the company even created geometric patterns incorporating the bit and atom to fit specific countries, like the one below for China.
