Opera rebrands with elegant new identity

Ben Moss.
September 23, 2015
Opera rebrands with elegant new identity.

To celebrate their 20th birthday, Opera are launching a new brand identity, the most visually striking element of which, is their new logo. Gone is the familiar high-contrast O’, to be replaced with a chunky, three dimensional ring; intended to convey the idea of Opera as a conduit to the Web, and to the information, entertainment, and services, therein.  Throughout its life, Opera’s oldstyle O’ has represented the company in one stylized form or another. The new, simplified form is inline with the trend away from diverse logotypes towards a more corporate geometric sans. [pullquote]this is an identity that moves the company forward, whilst properly honoring the brand’s history[/pullquote] In Opera’s case, what’s particularly successful about the design, is that it implies simplification, whilst retaining the essence of prior designs. The curves of the three dimensional ring taper the top and bottom of the shape, recalling the contrast in the earlier form. Unlike the recent rebrands of Facebook, and Google, this is an identity that moves the company forward, whilst properly honoring the brand’s history. Designed over the last year by Anti, with creative strategy work by DixonBaxi, the new identity is rolling out on Opera Mini, followed by the company’s other departments over the coming months. Opera’s reputation is as an alternative browser, but that belies the true scale of the enterprise; Opera currently boasts over a billion users each month. They’re hoping this rebrand will grow them further. According to Sean D’Arcy, Opera’s VP of global marketing and distribution: “[They] want to enable more people, in more places, to experience what matters, when it matters most.” 

Ben Moss

Ben Moss is Senior Editor at WebdesignerDepot. He’s designed and coded work for award-winning startups, and global names including IBM, UBS, and the FBI. One of these days he’ll run a sub-4hr marathon. Say hi on Twitter.

Read Next

Apple Opts for AR over VR at WWDC

An Apple VR headset has been one of the most widely-rumored devices of the last few years, and it was finally settled a…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, June 2023

We’re halfway through 2023 already, and the number of incredible apps, tools, and resources for designers is mounting.

3 Essential Design Trends, June 2023

This month we are focusing on three trends within a bigger website design trend – different navigation menu styles and …

15 Best New Fonts, May 2023

The choices you make when selecting a typeface have more impact on your design than almost any other decision, so it’s …

10+ Best Tools & Resources for Web Designers and Agencies (2023 updated)

Having the ability to envision a tastefully designed website (i.e., the role creativity plays) is important. But being …

20 Best New Websites, May 2023

This month, there are tons of great new agency websites to get excited about. 3D animated prisms are a popular theme, a…

How to Find the Right White Label Website Builder for Your Agency

Web design agencies face a lot of obstacles in closing the deal with new clients. One of the most common ones is the ar…

Exciting New Tools For Designers, May 2023

There are hundreds of new tools for designers and developers released each month. We sift through them all to bring you…

3 Essential Design Trends, May 2023

All three of the website design trends here mimic something bigger going on in the tech space, from a desire to have mo…

10 Best AI Tools for Web Designers (2023)

It’s time to stop worrying if AI is going to take your job and instead start using AI to expand the services you can of…

10 Best Marketing Agency Websites (Examples, Inspo, and Templates!)

Marketers are skilled in developing strategies, producing visual assets, writing text with high impact, and optimizing …

15 Best New Fonts, April 2023

Fonts are a designer’s best friend. They add personality to our designs and enable fine typography to elevate the quali…