The illustrator behind the original Twitter “blue bird” icon, Simon Oxley, has died aged 56.
Simon Oxley was a British designer who created the original Twitter logo, the iconic blue bird.
Originally created as a stock image in 2006, it was later bought and used when the platform was first launching.
According to a post on his website, illustrator and designer Oxley passed away on April 4, 2026, after a career lasting over thirty years.
OG Twitter logo designer has died
It is with great sadness that we share the news of Simon John Oxley’s passing on April 4th, 2026, at the age of 56. For more than 30 years, Simon dedicated himself to his passion, designing everything from company logos and mascots to charming little models for the home.
Simon started drawing as a child, practicing every night in his room. He went on to create memorable and original character and logo designs that many people came to love. Though he is no longer with us, his creative work will continue to inspire. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who collaborated with him and showed their support on platforms like Dribbble – he truly cherished every interaction and enjoyed the process of bringing his ideas to life.
I’m really heartbroken to hear that Simon, the incredibly talented artist behind the original Twitter bird, the GitHub Octocat, and the updated DigitalOcean Sammy the Shark, has passed away at just 56. He was such a wonderful person, and it’s a huge loss to the creative community. I always admired his work and he’ll be deeply missed.
— jedgar (@jedgar) April 14, 2026
David Oxley’s illustrations were seen around the world, and his 2006 bird design became the first logo for Twitter. As Twitter quickly became a major social media platform, the bird image helped establish the company’s brand, even after the logo was updated and redesigned.
In addition to his social media work, Oxley created stock illustrations that became the basis for iconic tech mascots, like the original Octocat for GitHub and the shark mascot for DigitalOcean.
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2026-04-15 15:48