Vi's new 3D logo, and the test it must pass

Vi’s new logo gets one big thing right: it treats the logo as something that moves and lives in 3D, which is where a phone network’s brand is now mostly seen. The test it, and every screen-first logo, still has to pass is the oldest one in design. Shrink it to 16 pixels, make it one colour, and see if it still reads.

Here is what Vi announced, why the move makes sense, and how to make sure a 3D logo holds up everywhere it has to appear.

What did Vi change?

On 1 September 2026, Vi, the brand of Vodafone Idea, unveiled a new identity. The small mark that sat under the “i” became a dynamic 3D sphere, and it moved to the top of the letter, as afaqs reported.

The launch came with a teaser campaign fronted by Shah Rukh Khan, with the line “Vi badal raha hai… tayaar rahiye”, which means “Vi is changing… get ready”. The rollout is phased across digital, retail and communications from 1 September, according to TelecomLead.

CEO Abhijit Kishore said the change is “not simply a logo refresh”. He positions Vi as a tech company, not just a telecom operator.

Why would a telecom brand choose a 3D logo?

Because of where the brand now lives. A telecom company used to be seen on shop signs, billboards and SIM card packs. Today, most people meet it on a screen: in an app, on a website, in a video ad, in a notification.

A flat mark was designed for print. A 3D sphere is designed for screens, where it can turn, catch light, and move with the story being told.

The sphere also does strategic work. If you want people to see you as a technology company, a mark that looks like it belongs in software is a reasonable signal. Moving it to the top of the “i” makes it more visible, and gives it room to act on its own.

Our take: the logic is sound. A sphere is a simple shape. Simple shapes survive animation, lighting and scale changes better than complex ones. That is a good foundation for a mark that has to perform in motion.

How does a logo behave in real time 3D on the web?

Most 3D logos you see are pre-rendered video. Each frame was drawn in advance, and the result plays like a film. That is fine for ads.

On a website, a logo can go further. WebGL, the technology that lets a browser draw real time 3D graphics, can render a mark as a live object. It can respond to scroll, follow a cursor, or react to touch. That is how we build immersive websites at BUNQ LABS.

A live 3D mark raises questions a flat logo never has to answer:

• Material. Is the sphere glossy, matte, glass, metal? Each choice changes how it reads in different light.
• Lighting. Where does the light come from, and does it stay consistent from screen to screen?
• Motion rules. How fast does it turn? Does it ever stop? What does it do when the visitor is idle?
• Weight. A live 3D object has a file size and a cost on the phone’s graphics chip. It must load fast on the phones your audience actually uses. We explain how in how to make a WebGL website run smoothly on cheap, old phones.

Without written rules for these, a 3D logo drifts. Every agency and every team renders it slightly differently, and within a year there are ten spheres.

What is the test every screen-first logo must pass?

The favicon test. A favicon is the tiny icon shown in a browser tab, usually drawn at 16 by 16 pixels.

At that size there is no lighting, no depth and no motion. There are a few hundred pixels and often just one or two colours. The same is true of app notification icons, social media avatars in a crowded feed, and the logo in a payment app’s list of merchants.

So the test is simple:

1. Draw the mark at 16 pixels square.
2. Make it a single solid colour, with no gradients or shading.
3. Put it on both a light and a dark background.
4. Ask someone who knows the brand to name it.

If it reads, the core shape is strong. If it turns into a smudge, the 3D version is doing work the shape cannot do alone, and the logo needs a dedicated small version.

A sphere passes this test more easily than most marks: at its simplest, it is a dot. That is part of why the choice is smart. The risk is not the shape. The risk is relying on shading and reflections to make it feel special, then losing that feeling at small sizes.

How should a logo work as a system?

A modern logo is not one file. It is a family of states that share one idea. For a screen-first brand, we would plan at least four:

• Hero 3D. The full material, lighting and motion version, for film, websites and launches.
• Motion 2D. A lighter animated version for app loading screens, social posts and interface moments.
• Flat. The everyday version for documents, retail signage and partners’ materials.
• Tiny. A simplified mark built for 16 to 32 pixels, sometimes with thicker shapes or fewer details.

Each state needs rules: when to use it, what it must never do, and how it hands over to the next. Done well, a viewer sees one brand whether the mark is spinning on a homepage or sitting in a browser tab.

We go deeper on this in our guide to designing a flexible brand identity system. If you are wondering what a logo is actually for in the first place, start with why a logo is important.

What can founders take from Vi’s rebrand?

You do not need a national ad campaign to learn from this. Three lessons apply to any brand:

1. Design for where people meet you. If that is mostly screens, your mark should be built for motion and small sizes from day one, not adapted later.
2. Start flat, then add depth. A strong flat shape gives every other state something to stand on. 3D should add to the mark, not hold it up.
3. Write the rules down. Material, lighting, motion and small size versions all need guidance, or the mark will drift as more people use it.

A logo change is also a signal. Vi’s CEO framed this one as a statement about what kind of company Vi wants to be. If you are weighing a change of your own, our guide on when you should rebrand can help you decide.

If you want a mark that works in 3D, in motion and at 16 pixels, get in touch.