WeTransfer drops “Transfer” and becomes “We” in rebrand

File sending website WeTransfer has been redesigned and rebranded, with a new, shorter “We” logo.

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Online file sharing website WeTransfer has unveiled a new logo which places greater focus on the “We”, to put more emphasis on the creative community rather than the service.

WeTransfer has previously enabled people to send each other digital assets by packaging up large files into downloadable, zipped packages.

The service has now been changed so that files are no longer zipped, but are available as separate downloads.

The old logo saw a filled-out, blue “we” symbol, with the curve of the “e” forming a smile. This was followed by the word “transfer” in grey, both in sans-serif lowercase.

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The new logo keeps the filled-out “we”, but drops the word “transfer”, and refines the “we” so that it is thicker with a higher smile on the “e” to create a “friendlier effect”, says WeTransfer creative director Laszlito Kovacs.

The redesign was completed by WeTransfer’s in-house creative team, alongside Paul van der Laan at type foundry Bold Monday.

“Although we’ve used a ‘we’ logo since the beginning, it was always secondary to our ‘wetransfer’ wordmark,” says Thijs Remie, WeTransfer vice president of design. “That has now changed. We are more than ever aware of our relationship with the creative community. Our focus on ‘we’ represents ‘you’ and ‘us’.”

Freight Sans typeface is used for supporting body copy, with Fakt also used in some applications of text in smaller sizes.

Alongside the logo is a set of new illustrations of coloured shapes, set in a palette of “peachy colours” which draw inspiration from non-tech design fields such as interiors and mid-century branding, says Kovacs.

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The rebrand comes alongside a redesigned website, which sees clearer navigation, a new transfer box and a new feature allowing people to download single files as well as groups of files, according to Remie.

Side panels now pop out for navigation, which aims to enable users to access information more easily. They only cover half the page which lets users access the transfer box at the same time.

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The transfer box is also now bigger which lets people tap in longer email addresses and file names.

WeTransfer Plus has been optimised, allowing users to personalise the backdrop of their page more easily, and providing a transfer overview panel showing the user’s list of transfers.

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The mobile site has also been optimised for viewing and downloading purposes, but to send files, users still need to use the iPhone or Android app.

The new logo and website are currently rolling out online.

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Comments
  • Orlaith November 25, 2016 at 11:16 am

    I don’t understand this move at all. Their existing name had become a verb – the mecca of naming – ‘I’ll WeTransfer it you.’ I’ll We it to you just doesn’t work does it?
    Totally ignoring their customer base and implementing change for change’s sake.

    • Merlin Duff November 25, 2016 at 2:43 pm

      Agreed Orlaith — seems an odd move, unless they’re positioning to offer more than just a digital file transfer platform. Time will tell.

    • Hannah May 20, 2017 at 2:38 pm

      Completely agree. It astounds me when people do this – a classic case of do they actually use their own product on a day to day basis to know how it’s used? Try articulating this to a less tech-friendly client.

  • derek Johnston November 25, 2016 at 2:46 pm

    Fantastic, now I can tell all my clients that I’m uploading a Wee for them to review.

    Branding gone nuts : )

  • Rob Salter November 30, 2016 at 9:10 am

    As Orlaith said, the previous name ‘WeTransfer’ became a verb and in my world even better when done in a Scots accent. It would seem everyone will be weeing files over now … clearly the new ‘we’ has plans to be more than just a file transfer service …

  • Alex December 2, 2016 at 5:25 pm

    Wow, I bet those ideas and sketches took ages. It looks as though someone just used ‘pucker and bloat’ in illustrator! Poor decision to drop ‘Transfer’.

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