After 17 years, eBay has decided to change its logo.  In fact there are two logo changes going on.  First is the “eBay marketplaces” logo (ebay.com).  And then there is the eBay Inc logo (ebayinc.com), which is the parent company to the eBay family which includes PayPal, GSI Commerce, X.commerce, Red laser, Milo, and so on.

First the new ebay.com logo… (For more information on the eBay (marketplaces) logo: http://pages.ebay.com/announcements/new/index.html)

Doing some web searches there are lots of different opinions out there.  Some like it, some don’t, some say they could have done better.  For example, one article I came across was here. They have a number of different designs other designers have come up with.  I liked the comments to this post.  Many people find it easy to say they don’t like the new logo – but when given alternatives they dislike the alternatives more!  I will summarize a different way – most people don’t like change.

The eBay Inc logo is also changing.  It has been changed to be clear that eBay Inc is more than just ebay.com.  It has picked up the PayPal and GSI commerce blue.  I got the following from the ebayinc.com web site.

But I am a software guy – not a graphic designer or marketing person.  To me at the end of the day the change in the ebay.com logo is more about message than what I think of the logo itself.  After 17 years eBay is making a statement.  It is not the same company it was even just a few years ago.  It is tackling the hard problems of becoming an innovative technology company, not just a business that uses technology.  The internal drive is there.  The efforts are starting to bear fruit.  (Look at the stock price over the last year as one metric.  Look at the #1 e-commerce Mobile app as another.)  eBay has many challenging technology problems to solve at a scale few other companies have to deal with.  The depth and breadth of inventory, the number of queries each day, using all the data behind the scenes to give better results to customers looking for items to buy.  eBay also has a large user base that it has to serve better.  David Marcus, the new PayPal President has said “if we suck at something, we now face it…“.  eBay knows it has to continually improve and is taking measures to do so.

Finally, keep an eye out on the ebay.com web site this holiday season.  There are some nice things coming, but I must alas keep my mouth shut for now.  Well, maybe I can at least point people at ebay.com/new…