The new illustrations help us visualize — and connect with — all parts of dating: the quirky, the charming, and the confusing.

Going on dates can be really nice. There’s human connection, companionship, sex — sometimes even just a great makeout sesh. But we can’t only highlight the really nice and ignore the aspects of dating that aren’t so lovely, like having to share a cocktail or coffee with the occasional catfisher, scammer, ego maniac, or bland dingus. After all, dating can be a weird, chaotic, alluring mess — full of highs and lows.

At OkCupid, we work hard to help you meet someone who ticks all your boxes, and hopefully has some great qualities you weren’t even looking for. But ultimately, all we can do is provide you the space to express what’s important about you. We’re all individuals with unique charms and quirks, and showing them off is the best way to meet someone you’ll really click with. So we’ve changed things up a bit — not only so you can express your individuality now, but also to better reflect the dating experience, and hopefully lighten the mood a bit, too.

Illustrations

The new illustrations were done by Jay Daniel Wright, a charming goofball based in Berlin. We tossed around a number of great illustrators, but Jay’s work always made us smile and left us feeling genuinely good about the world. We hope Jay’s illustrations do the same for you.

Jay’s sketches in progress

If nothing else, his drawings are fun, quirky, and unique — qualities they share with the interesting people you’ll meet on OkCupid.

“The Two of Us” got an update.

Typography

We’re now using one typeface, GT America, across all platforms. While a number of us are feeling a bit down on the whole America thing, we still love it here. And even if we didn’t, GT America isn’t actually American but rather the creation of some Swiss folks at Grilli Type. It’s a handsome blend of that sweet Swiss rationalism we see in our favorite grotesque san-serifs (see: Helvetica) and the quirk of American gothics (see: Franklin Gothic). For non-typography nerds, here’s the point: GT America is eccentric and individual, just like, well, humans.

The visual refresh includes new typography and illustrations.

Design Philosophy

Our design philosophy hasn’t changed that much. Our focus remains on making an easy-to-use, enjoyable product. But OkCupid has come a long way from where we started. There was some charm in the OkCupid of old, a place with very few rules that was peculiar, ugly, and open. Since our humbler beginnings, we’ve simplified things a lot. And that is a philosophical choice. When designing a product like ours, we have two directions to choose from:

We can create a visual style and experience that glorifies the ideal — an experience that feels almost utopian. In this world, we present dating as fun and easy; it’s a pool party with a perfectly diverse set of friends who look like they model on the weekends, and travel the world during the week. There’s a colorful gradient sheen, and its perpetually golden hour. This is the approach most companies in this space are taking. It’s lovely. It’s the dream we’re all striving for, right?

Or we can reflect the reality of this adventure we’re all on together. It’s a little rough around the edges, loud, bizarre, and eclectic. It can be complicated, but ultimately we can all see the beauty in the mess if we look for it.

Some of Jay’s illustrations were inspired by existing icons, like the star.

We have always wanted to be a dating app for humans. Real humans. All humans: men, women, gender fluid, transfeminine, gay, straight, asexual, queer, questioning, etc. Not glossed up models living a perfect life that we’re pretty sure doesn’t exist, or does — but only for a select few. We’re not here to tell you what’s cool, or pretend that we know. Instead, we’re here to encourage you to be yourself. And we’re going to continue to build an open platform that lets you express all the things that make you who you are.

We know you’re more substance than selfie. Sign up at OkCupid.com to connect with people as individual as you are.