Behind the Rebrand: Q&A with Zac, Founder of Official

It’s here, and it’s electric. To celebrate the redesign, we sat down with the who's who of Official, Founder Zac Stern, to discuss the inspiration behind Official’s glow-up. Zac talks about community feedback and how it charted the course in several areas of the rebrand. In his dialogue, he affirms the team’s commitment to continuously work on improving the in-app experience for Official couples and explains why rebranding marks the beginning of an exciting journey with significant changes and improvements planned for the future. Redesigned to keep the vibe flowing, Zac answers ten questions surrounding the Official rebrand.

Interview with Zac Stern, Founder of Official

Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the rebranding of Official?

A: “We had been considering a rebrand for a while, especially as Official started to grow. We defined the app's concept, and couples loved it, but we realized that pink and purple hearts weren’t representative of 100% of relationships. We wanted to bring some spark, edge, and realness to the app.”

Q: What motivated the decision to rebrand at this time?

A: “We recognized that the brand needed a refresh, and after being acquired by Bumble Inc. in April 2023, we finally had the resources and team behind us to make it happen. Our internal team led this rebrand from start to finish and delivered a fun, contemporary brand identity that intuitively feels real and right. The TL;DR is that the opportunity to rebrand was there, and it made sense to take it.”

Q: How does Official’s new brand identity reflect its missions and values?

A: “It's next level. The old brand—the pink and purple hearts—was very cutesy, which is something we wanted at the time. Still, we picked up on wanting to be something spicier in the sense that we wanted couples to feel cool about being on their journey to better communication, sex, more fun, whatever it is. So, we created an interface that could excite anyone, no matter who they are or their relationship style. The aim is to get them moving on their mission.”

Q: What are the key features Official has that set it apart from other relationship apps?

A: “I think our focus on ‘Intimacy,’ and our audience differentiates us. We focus on reaching Gen Z, and our features speak to that. Our features are built for fun but can also be looked at as a way to work on communication skills proactively. You can communicate feelings ahead of time, like setting your mood when you’re working through a frustrating day or send support without needing to send out a novel. We've seen competitors in our space telling their users they need to fix their broken relationships, but we don’t think your relationship needs to break to give it attention.”

Q: How has community feedback influenced the development and direction of the rebrand?

A: “Integral. We removed ‘Date Ideas,’ changed colors, and focused on driving performance in areas users felt we weren’t. Users identified the changes, and we made them. We wanted to create a better experience for everyone. ‘Date Ideas’ was not up to par, so we removed it. The app was slow, so we improved that. Premium couples wanted more content, so we gave it to them.”

Q: What impact do you hope the rebranding will have on the app's overall user experience?

A: “The rebrand is more than just a facelift on the front—it’s also a big upgrade on the back, and that’s something that users should start feeling really, really soon: building better infrastructure and better connections in the app, so that it doesn’t just look fresher, but it performs at a higher level. It's faster with more intuitive clicks. Everything comes together more seamlessly, and it’s what we wanted: seamless, like a yin-yang, it’s necessary to come together to function.”

Q: With user-generated content removed from the app, are there plans to foster a sense of community and connection among Official users?

A: “Right now, no. Official is focused on helping interpersonal relationships before expanding out. Our goal is to help couples have better relationships, hopefully, the best ones possible, not have them sift through other couples' content or compete against each other in games or something similar. We start by looking at the couple and then at the digital elements we can provide to connect them in real life. User-generated content doesn’t feel like a big part of that right now.”

Q: How do you measure the success of Official beyond its numbers?

A: “I measure it by when I'm in New York or Miami, and I talk to someone and tell them what I do, and they tell me that they've used the app without knowing me prior. When I talk to a stranger, and they either have Official on their phone or have used it with a previous partner, I measure success. I feel success when I understand the value it has brought to their relationship.”

Q: How do you plan to keep Official's content fresh and engaging for couples over time?

A: “So many ways. New fun. New layouts. New features. I can’t say much without getting in trouble, but it's all coming. If you liked the rebrand, you will love the journey we’re heading on. There’ll be an opportunity to share feedback with us later, but continuing to engage our community and building features they want to see is the answer.”

Q: Do you have any parting thoughts to leave us with?

A: “That this is just the beginning. We have a cool, exciting roadmap in front of us and a stellar team to execute on it. More changes are coming. Some of our features and core gamification within the app will change. The rebrand was the first step in getting there.”

Have More Fun in Your Relationship

Hey! We’d be so thankful if you participated in some feedback for us. The rebrand is on, and we want to know your thoughts. How can we improve? What would you like to see? Let us know by clicking this link 🖤