Xiaomi spends three years to make new logo, turns it round from square

Chinese phone maker company Xiaomi spent more than three years to develop a new logo and turned its old square design into a squircle in the end.

Xiaomi, the largest smartphone maker after Apple and Samsung, unveiled the new logo on Tuesday, with the only obvious difference being the round-edge frame.

CEO Lei Jun also highlighted the similarity between the two logos.

“Is everyone a bit disappointed by this logo, that we just turned it from a square to a circle?” Lei said as he unveiled the new logo on Tuesday. He also announced the company’s entry into electric-vehicle making during the event.

“The designer told me it’s not just about a square becoming a circle. It’s about the brand having a massive change in its inner spirits and personality.” 

Lei said the company had been looking for designers to design a new logo since 2017. It finally settled on the work of Japanese designer Kenya Hara, a renowned graphic designer and an author.

Hara explained the concept “alive” behind this new logo and the designing process in a video released by Xiaomi.

He said his team studied and analysed the “circles and squares” thoroughly with the help of a mathematical equation. 

They picked at least 24 shapes that sit somewhere between a circle and a square, and selected one that “strikes the perfect balance” and “best represents the core aspect of ‘alive.’”

The curve on the letter M has also been changed a bit so that I can fit the frame. 

Besides the logo, Hara also suggested adding black and silver to complement the company’s theme orange color to “convey a sense of energy and mystery.”