Facebook has launched a new branding for its subsidiary companies, which comprises an all-capital typeface that changes colour depending on the service offered.

The company, which has been shrouded in controversy since the data breach-scandal surrounding the US presidential election in 2016, created the new branding to "create visual distinction" between company and social app.

The rebrand will be used  on the services it owns – such as image-sharing app Instagram and messaging service WhatsApp, while the lowercase, blue lettering will be used for its social networking app, which was established 15 years ago.

"The new branding was designed for clarity, and uses custom typography and capitalisation to create visual distinction between the company and app," Facebook said.

"The brand system was born out of a commitment to be clear, empathetic and create space for people's stories to shine through."

Facebook worked with branding agency Saffron and UK type design studio Dalton Maag, which also redesigned the typeface used on Airbnb's platforms, to develop the rebrand. It will replace the "from Facebook" endorsement added in grey text to the interface of Facebook's apps earlier this year.

In the redesign, Facebook will be written in a rounded capital typeface coloured to match the brand it appears on.  For example, in WhatsApp Facebook will be coloured to match the messaging application's green brand, while in Instagram it will be in tones of yellow, pink and purple.

"Instead of the company owning a single colour, we designed the brand to be responsive to its context and environment" Facebook said. "This system allows the word mark to take on the colour of our individual brands."

Similar styling will be produced for the company's other subsidiaries, including tech-company Oculus, collaboration app Workplace, video calling service Portal and Calibra, which is set to launch next year to provides financial services.

Generous spacing between letters and consistent stroke widths clarify the brand's identity, while also allowing its updated font to be easily resized and condense into a "FB monogram" for smaller spaces.

The redesign follows criticism over the social media company's protection of users' private data after it was revealed in 2018 that Cambridge Analytica had harvested millions of people's personal data from Facebook without their consent.

Earlier this year, the brand relaunched its website with a "modern", all-white design and new features that were created to put the privacy of its users first. It also opened five pop-up cafes in the UK where users could have a check-up on their privacy settings, and a free cup of coffee.

Controversy around the company continues, however, as it pushes forward with plans for Libra, a currency based on the blockchain. It also recently changed its policy on advertising, which would allow for political adverts that could be false or misleading.