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ALONGSIDE ITS REJIG of its company as Alphabet and separating it into its own entity, Google made one of the biggest changes to its logo in its 17-year history.
Chances are you’ve already seen it in action, but unlike previous changes (which were mostly refinements of what came before it), the new logo changes the typeface for a cleaner and more vibrant look.
The new look will also change the G symbol from a blue symbol to a four-colour G that matches the logo.
So it’s gone from this:
To this.
Compared to what came before it, it’s a bit of a change.
https://vine.co/v/eI3TL2PT0Zr
And as with any change, reaction to it has been mixed (but leaning more towards positive).
While the change does mark a major shift for the company, thanks to it announcing a major restructuring only a few weeks ago, the design change began early this year as its design team mentioned in its post describing the logo change.
It started when the company’s designers took part in a week-long design sprint (a period of work where a certain task or aim must be completed and ready). The aim: to redesign the Google logo.
To do this, there were four main aims.
First of all, it boiled down the logo to its four main colours: blue, red, green and yellow. What then followed was hundreds of hours of design work just coming up with possible changes.
Alongside coming up with a new look, the team had to work with other groups across the company like engineering, research, product and marketing to properly test the logos.
Essentially, it boiled down into three main elements: the logotype (the general logo), dots (for loading and processing actions), and the ‘G’ (what you’ll see on mobile).
If you first thought upon seeing the new Google logo was it looks like something you would find in a child’s schoolbook, you’re not far off.
The Google logo has always had a simple, friendly, and approachable style. We wanted to retain these qualities by combining the mathematical purity of geometric forms with the childlike simplicity of schoolbook letter printing. Our new logotype is set in a custom, geometric sans-serif typeface and maintains the multi-colored playfulness and rotated ‘e’ of our previous mark—a reminder that we’ll always be a bit unconventional.
The dots are really for loading and showing an action is being processed like Voice search, they’re more playful in how they move. Although the design and movement are very deliberate.
While their movements might seem spontaneous, their motion is rooted in consistent paths and timing, with the dots moving along geometric arcs and following a standard set of snappy easing curves.
Google isn’t the first company to change its logo this year. Facebook made some subtle changes to its own logo earlier this year while Spotify changed the hue on its green logo to a more lime-like colour.
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Nothing says caught rotten more than staring at a blank Google homepage
That’s nothing. I went to search for the exact address of a restaurant for a girl who was drinking in the bar I work in last week. Hit the browser ap while she was looking over my shoulder, immediately the distinctive black background and red trim and font of one of the more popular adult sites popped up.
I wonder how much the artist got paid to change Google’s font to sans serif?
Aha, the classic ‘money must have been wasted here’ comment. Expected it round about now.
Firstly, it was done by their in-house team, who receive a salary and would presumably have had updates like this in their job specs, including many other design tasks.
So while ‘zero’ is not quite the answer, it kinda is as well.
If it was as simple as ‘sticking it into a different typeface’, I recommend you get yourself that type of job ASAP.
Or maybe as a writer – that’s just putting words that already exist together, and you’ve shown us you can do that by posting.
(Yes, I am a designer for a large company with an ever evolving brand).
Is it Google …?
Ask a smart alecky question, get a smart alecky answer ;)
Afraid not Abbi. Google are a very interesting brand for a designer to work for.
While many people only see that as ‘just changing the typeface’, to me it’s an interesting strategic shift.
These are the same people who I knew with 100% certainty would comment “anyone could do that/I can’t believe someone paid someone to do that.”
You’re doing a great job with the old McQuillan brand there Andy.
“Interesting strategic shift” indeed……looks like a simple change to a typeface to me.
Then again, I refer to “designer shoes” as “shoes made by a cobbler”.
“Designers” talk a lot of cobblers.
Must be a slow news day
Yahooo! They changed the Google logo……………see what I did there? Lol
Diarmuid, you’re a comedic genius…
Where have you BING all my life?
He was probably on safari
Getting a BackRub?
Back of the net!!
Ask Jeeves!
Yiz are rubbing the chrome off it now.
Dell be hell to pay if you’s keep this up
Who cares?
I Bing it.
Jaysus! Is this all some people have to worry about?? Please can I have their life???
Where did anybody say they were worried about it?
Best comments of the day!
Microsofts Metro team must be patting themselves on the back.
Stole the happy e from heiniken – I wonder what our Dutch friends will make of that !
Don’t like it. Junior version.
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