Reddit didn't start as a "front page of the internet" powerhouse. It started as a scrap of paper in a library. When Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman were trying to figure out what their new link-sharing site should look like back in 2005, they weren't hiring branding agencies or spending thousands on focus groups. They were just two guys in Medford, Massachusetts, trying to make something that didn't look like every other boring Web 2.0 site. The old reddit logo 2005—that strange, bobble-headed creature we now know as Snoo—was actually born out of boredom during a marketing class.
It’s easy to forget how ugly the internet was then.
Most sites were trying to look "professional" with glossy gradients and heavy shadows. Reddit went the opposite direction. Ohanian literally doodled Snoo in his notebook. He wanted something that looked like a "time-traveling alien" because the name Reddit was a play on "read it," as in "I already read it on Reddit." The logo was meant to be the mascot who had already seen everything.
What the original 2005 Snoo actually looked like
If you look at the old reddit logo 2005 version, it’s remarkably similar to what we have today, but also subtly "off." It was a white, bipedal alien with red eyes and a single antenna ending in a pom-pom. The lines were thinner. The head was slightly more oval. Most importantly, it wasn't as polished. In the very first iterations, Snoo didn't even have a mouth. It was just this blank, staring entity that looked back at you while you browsed links about programming or politics.
The font choice was equally specific. They used a modified version of VAG Rounded. It’s a soft, friendly typeface that balanced out the "weirdness" of a red-eyed alien. It felt approachable.
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The "Snoo" name and the 5-minute doodle
The name "Snoo" is actually a shorthand for "S'new," as in "What's new?" It’s a bit punny, honestly. Ohanian has gone on record multiple times, including in his book Without Their Permission, explaining that the mascot was never supposed to be this global icon. It was a quick sketch. He liked the idea of a character that could be "remixed." This is where the genius of the old reddit logo 2005 design really lies. Because it was so simple—basically just a few circles and an antenna—it became a blank canvas for the community.
Early users started creating their own versions.
Before "subreddits" were even a massive thing with their own CSS, people were already iterating on the alien. That adaptability is why the logo survived while other 2005-era icons like the Digg excavator or the original Delicious logo faded into tech history. It wasn't a static brand; it was a character.
Why the 2005 version feels so nostalgic now
Tech moves fast. Too fast. When we look back at the old reddit logo 2005, we’re looking at a period before the "Enshittification" of the web. Reddit was a small community of nerds. The logo represented that. It didn't feel corporate. It felt like something your friend drew on a napkin.
There’s a specific psychological comfort in that low-fidelity look. Modern logos are often "sanitized." They are designed by committees to be as inoffensive and "premium" as possible. The original Snoo was a bit creepy if you really thought about it. Red eyes? In any other context, that’s a demon. But in the context of a 2005 startup, it was just "internet quirky."
The evolution away from the 2005 roots
Eventually, Reddit grew up. They added a mouth to Snoo to make it look "happier" and less like a blank slate. They thickened the lines for better visibility on mobile screens. In 2017, they did a massive redesign that gave Snoo a 3D head and more defined features. Then, more recently, they went even further into the 3D space with the 2023 rebrand.
But for many, those changes stripped away the soul of the site.
The original logo was tied to the era of "old reddit" (old.reddit.com), which many power users still refuse to leave. That interface is utilitarian. It’s text-heavy. It doesn't care about your "user experience" in a way that involves infinite scrolls and autoplaying videos. The old reddit logo 2005 is the flag for that version of the internet.
Technical details of the 2005 asset
If you’re a designer looking back at the original assets, the simplicity is staggering.
- Colors: Primarily #FFFFFF (white) and #FF4500 (the specific "orangered" color that would later define the site's upvote button).
- Stroke: Constant width, no pressure sensitivity, which suggests it was likely refined in an early version of Adobe Illustrator or even just basic vector software.
- Alignment: The antenna was always slightly tilted to the right, giving it a sense of "curiosity."
It’s a masterclass in "less is more."
The legacy of a doodle
Most startups from 2005 are dead. MySpace is a ghost town. Digg is a shell. Reddit survived because of its community, but that community was unified by the mascot. Ohanian actually trademarked Snoo very early on, even when people told him it was a waste of time. He knew that the identity of the site was wrapped up in that little alien.
When the site faced controversies or blackouts, Snoo was often used in protest. Users would "kill" Snoo in their CSS or give it a black armband. You can't do that with a corporate wordmark. You can only do that with a character.
What you can learn from the old Reddit branding
If you're building something today, don't overthink the "perfect" logo.
Authenticity beats polish every single time. The old reddit logo 2005 worked because it didn't try to be anything other than a weird little alien. It was memorable because it was slightly strange. If you want to tap into that same energy, look at your early sketches. Sometimes the "rough" version is the one that people will actually fall in love with.
How to see the original logo today
You don't actually need a time machine. You can head over to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and plug in reddit.com with a date set to late 2005. You'll see it there, sitting in the top left corner, next to a very basic search bar and a list of links that probably look like a different world.
Another way is to use the "old" redirect. Even though the main site has changed, the legacy of that 2005 aesthetic lives on in the "compact" and "old" views. It’s a reminder of when the internet felt like a giant, messy experiment instead of a series of walled gardens.
Actionable Steps for Designers and Founders:
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- Audit your brand's "character": Does your logo have a personality, or is it just a font? If you can't imagine your logo "reacting" to news, it might be too static.
- Embrace the "Doodle" Phase: Before jumping into high-end design software, spend a week sketching by hand. The constraints of a pen and paper often lead to more iconic shapes than a digital canvas.
- Study the VAG Rounded font: See how it softens "techy" icons. It worked for Reddit in 2005, and version of it still work for "friendly" tech brands today.
- Prioritize Scalability: The reason Snoo survived the jump to mobile is that it's a silhouette. If your logo relies on complex gradients to be recognizable, simplify it until it works in two colors.
The old reddit logo 2005 wasn't a mistake or a placeholder. It was a deliberate choice to be different. It’s a testament to the idea that a simple, well-defined mascot can carry a brand through decades of technical and social upheaval.