Yahoo logo designed by Tribal member

By Kamiah Koch

Social media/digital journalist

The Internet company Yahoo rolled out a new logo Tuesday, Nov. 1, featuring bright colors and an artistic style the Grand Ronde community may recognize.

Grand Ronde Tribal member and artist Steph Littlebird was approached by Yahoo over the social media app Instagram to re-design the logo in honor of Native American Heritage Month.

Littlebird, who grew in Oregon and currently resides in Las Vegas, says Yahoo re-designs the logo for heritage and identity-recognition months, working with artists from that respective community.

“It’s something that they do throughout the year and I was really honored to be asked,” Littlebird says.

The logo Littlebird was commissioned to design uses Native American patterns local to the Willamette Valley area, as well as other patterns she researched, to fill up the space within the lettering. The last “O” features a Native woman and her baby wrapped in a blanket, which is currently Yahoo’s avatar on all its social media platforms.

Yahoo's profile picture on the internet company's social media platforms. Grand Ronde Tribal member Steph Littlebird was commissioned to re-design the Yahoo logo in honor of Native American Heritage Month. 

According to Littlebird, Yahoo mainly let her take creative control of the design, which made her feel appreciated as an artist.

“It’s cool when I get to do these crossover projects, where I get to do a little bit of design but still be my artist-self,” she says. “When you’re in the discipline of art, those are very different disciplines and it’s cool to cross over.”

Although Littlebird has worked with large clients in the last few years, Yahoo using her art as its social media profile picture and publishing her in an article is going to be the largest audience to see her artwork.

In 2021, Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Ore., selected Littlebird to design the label on their popular seasonal ale, the Jubelale.

But for Littlebird, this is just the beginning.

“I have some pretty exciting stuff coming out next year that will likely supersede this,” she hints with a laugh.

Although she is unable to discuss some projects now, she shares she is looking forward to the publication of her first fully-illustrated book called “My Powerful Hair” in March 2023.

The book is a collaboration with Carole Lindstrom, who also wrote the award-winning children’s book “We Are Water Protectors” published in 2020.

Littlebird will be busy next year working on her artwork and going on a national book tour. 

“I’m getting a lot of opportunities to represent our community and I’m really proud of that opportunity,” she says.

Yahoo is an online service provider co-owned by Apollo Global Management and Verizon Communications Inc.