The New Unsupervised Learning Logo (2021)

ul logo collection

We’ve not changed the logo for Unsupervised Learning since the first one back in 2015, so we thought it was time.

But going 6 years wasn’t the only reason. Here’s what I wanted that in the new design:

  1. More meaning related to the brand

  2. More square vs. round

  3. The graphical component to be able to stand alone without the text

The design

Here’s a breakdown of the graphic’s meaning.

  • The visual overall of dots connected by lines is meant to signify circuitry and connections (like a neural net)

  • The first part of the logo is an upside-down “U”, indicating unorthodoxy

  • The second part of the logo is an “L” for learning

  • The orphaned dot represents a connection that hasn’t yet been made—perpetually reminding us that there is always more to learn

The text is Advocate, by Matthew Butterick, which is used elsewhere on the site.

So I think we hit all aspects of what we were looking for, and I’m pretty happy with it.

Miscellanea

I just recreated my phone’s lock screen wallpaper to use the new logo, and here it is for anyone interested.

ul iphone logo

My updated UL phone lock screen

Let me know your thoughts on it.

Notes

  1. My partner came up with a significant improvement to the visual part of the logo by recommending the upside-down “U” character, as well as the standalone dot. She also named the brand back when it started! 1,000,000 thanks to her!