Spotify's logo change sparks backlash online
· Toronto Sun
Did Spotify drop the ball?
The streaming service’s move to change its logo in honour of its 20th anniversary last week has sparked so much online backlash that the company has responded to critics, reassuring them that the change isn’t permanent.
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Last Thursday, Spotify celebrated its milestone birthday by changing its 2D logo to a 3D sparkly green disco ball for its mobile app icon.
The move was part of the launch of its “ Spotify 20: Your Party of the Year(s) ” mobile-only in-app experience that allows users with a look back at their entire music listening history.
Users were able to discover personalized data, including the first day they joined the streaming platform, the first song they ever streamed, and their all-time most-streamed artist.
All of which seemed like a fun way for Spotify users to interact with the brand, but many users cried foul over the logo change.
Though Spotify kept its iconic soundwaves in the new logo, many took to social media to complain about its supposed flaws, prompting the company to respond to some critics individually online.
“Whoever designed this needs to be fired immediately,” wrote a user on X , whose observation was liked by 298,000 other users on the social media platform.
Whoever designed this needs to be fired immediately: pic.twitter.com/ec86h8l5oP
— Farzad 🇺🇸 🇮🇷 (@farzyness) May 15, 2026
Another X user, a social media consultant, elaborated on exactly what he found so detestable about the new temporary logo.
“This is one of those design/marketing moments where I just scratch my head,” wrote Jack Appleby on X . “There are huge readability & brand issues,” listing in bullet points: “Different colour green; the green is too dark against the black; disco ball texture looks pixelated on a tiny phone screen.
“A kinda dumb mistake,” he added.
Company rep: ‘Not everyone has to love every creative choice’
Spotify must have felt the heat, as it responded to some of its disco ball logo haters on X, including this reply to Appleby: “It’s our birthday so we’re in our party gear, but we’ll be back to normal when the lights go down. Your regularly scheduled Spotify icon returns soon.”
It’s our birthday so we’re in our party gear, but we'll be back to normal when the lights go down. Your regularly scheduled Spotify icon returns soon.
— Spotify (@Spotify) May 17, 2026
It also responded to another critic, writing, “We know glitter is not for everyone. Our temp glow up ends soon. Your regularly scheduled Spotify icon returns next week.”
Spotify’s co-head of communications C.J. Stanley spoke to PRWeek about the logo change, telling the magazine that the company expected it would generate a conversation.
“It was intentional and considered,” Stanley said. “Not everyone has to love every creative choice. The takeaway for me is that when you’ve been part of people’s daily lives for so many years, your brand belongs to them as much as to you.”
Not everyone was a hater
Though comments from its logo critics have gone viral, others on social media have praised Spotify for doing something different and unexpected.
“I don’t think a universally recognized brand like Spotify needs to stick to the same colour scheme to create this icon celebrating its 20th anniversary,” wrote one X user.
“What’s more, I find this culture of fearing the unfamiliar, where people react the moment something different is created, quite toxic,” Andrea Cau wrote .
“A brand like theirs can certainly afford to celebrate in this way, and they’ve done so with an icon that breaks the mould. Kudos to the Spotify design team!”