Twitter has a new font for better accessibility

Yes, you are not the only one. We all connect Twitter got a little shock last night when we saw a new set of fonts and design changes on the platform.

It may take us a while to get used to it, and we might hate it for a while. But the company explained in a thread why it made these changes: The main reason is accessibility.

First, Twitter’s new fonts are called Chirp (cute name), and the company says they’re designed to be easier to read when scrolling through tweets. This is the company’s first proprietary typeface, and you can read more about it here.

Do you notice anything different?

Today we released some changes to how Twitter looks on the web and on your phone. While it might seem odd at first, these updates make us more accessible, unique, and focused on you and what you’re talking about.

Let’s take a closer look. ?? pic.twitter.com/vCUomsgCNA

– Twitter design (@TwitterDesign) August 11, 2021

There is also a cute Easter egg when you type [CHIRPBIRDICON] in the new interface. Check out what’s going on in the video below.

Twitter’s New ‘Chirp’ Font Contains Spinning Ligature [CHIRPBIRDICON] in the Twitter logo https://t.co/TgCRi804iKpic.twitter.com/SYDczXCBM5

– Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) January 28, 2021

To make the design more accessible, Twitter is also changing its color palette to offer more contrast and reduce the amount of blue elements on the interface. This means that it will be easier for you to spot photos and videos. In addition, the social network will be deployed a new color palette for variety soon.

Twitter also changes the colors of the follow button. However, unlike the current design where the button is filled when you follow someone, the new button will be filled if you don’t follow them. This will create great confusion.

The social network said that to make things transparent, it was reducing gray backgrounds and dividing lines. I can see this effect in the tweet threads, where there is no dividing line and things look cleaner.

Franky, I agree with most of these changes, especially if they increase accessibility for people with visual impairments. But the follow button rejigging might confuse people a bit.

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