GitHub Brand Refactor
GitHub 2026
GitHub has a schedule of annual refreshes. These help the brand stay culturally relevant while keeping aligned as business initiatives change. A cohesive brand experience is only possible through regularly auditing and improving. For the 2026 refresh we evolved some of the foundational primitives: color, logo, type, and layout.
- Me →
- icons, type design, brand systems, layout
- Collaborators →
- Eleena Bakrie illustration, art direction Brooks Chambers creative direction Marcus Bakke illustration, animation
Design
The refactor wasn’t about inventing a one-off campaign look. It was about improving our quality defaults. And there's no bigger default than the logo—arguably the most known in developer tech.
Old (2015-2025)
New (2026+)
It's hard to justify a change that's this subtle—borderline not noticeable by most people.
And, maybe that's just the burden of a case study? Most choices never measure up. That said, here's what I did. I thought it made the mark more beautiful, at every scale. If you can believe that.
Mona's head gets a little more circular, less boxy. The curves are slightly less tense. The vectors transition better. A subtle curve inflection and slightly bigger arm support a more tentacle-like feeling (ahem, she's half octopus, half cat), and its proximity to the body helps with overall symmetry.
Kyle is an designer and illustrator in Oakland, CA. He runs Very Cool, is a brand designer at GitHub, and runs Song Club Records (poorly).