Netflix Overhauls Opening Logo Animation

Netflix’s February releases have started off a little differently thanks to a new opening logo animation.

On Feb. 1, Netflix announced the change on Twitter. The new logo still uses the familiar “bum-bum” sound, but is much more colorful. It begins with the familiar “N” ribbon, but moves forward and reveals a sense of depth. When one of the lines of the “N” reach the screen, it reveals itself to be a spectrum of colors.

“SOME PERSONAL NEWS: Starting today there’s a new logo animation before our originals. It shows the spectrum of stories, languages, fans, & creators that make Netflix beautiful — now on a velvety background to better set the mood,” the streaming service said. “And before you ask: no, the sound isn’t changing.”
The animation will also be retroactively added to past Netflix originals “over the coming months,” Netflix said.

A Netflix spokesperson told Fast Company the new animation was developed in-house with an independent agency. It took over two years and is “inspired by the idea of turning Netflix’s own show thumbnails sideways, like records on a shelf.”

The new logo is also an attempt to create a more memorable opening, one that is similar to the animations the movie studios use. Considering that Netflix is finally a serious awards contender with Alfonso Cuaron’s 10-time Oscar-nominated Roma, it seemed like the best time to add something that could become as familiar as Universal Studio’s turning globe or the 20th Century Fox fanfare.

This is the first time Netflix has overhauled its branding since 2016, when it introduced the solo “N” logo. Netflix insisted that was just a new creative element to live alongside the logo Netflix went to in 2014 and still uses to this day.

“We are introducing a new element into our branding with an N icon,” a spokesperson told The Verge in 2016. “The current Netflix logo will still remain. The icon will start to be incorporated into our mobile apps along with other product integrations in the near future.”

In January, Netflix said it has 139 million subscribers worldwide after adding 9 million new paying subscribers during the last quarter of 2018, CNN Business reports. The company expects to add another 8.9 million by the end of March. The growing subscriber base and the recent price hike are expected to help pay for the astronomical $8 billion Netflix spent on original programming in 2018. That is $2 billion more than what the company spent in 2017.

However, in 2019, Netflix will have to compete with more streaming services, especially with Disney+ on the horizon, while Amazon and Hulu continue to gain ground.