Looks like Google got a makeover just in time for its 17th birthday, and most people don’t seem to know what to make of it. Google’s logo—as well as and the variety of products Google offers—has undergone many changes since Google’s incorporation in 1998. When it was first launched, Google could only be reached from a desktop PC, but now—seventeen years later to be exact—people can interact with Google using a seemingly infinite number of devices, platforms and even apps. With the increased ease of access, the many people using Google have come to both recognize and trust Google’s old logo; a logo that for many years has remained recognizable, even through the subtle alterations that were noticeable but never radical. So what does it mean when a logo, especially that of a major corporation, changes drastically?
A logo in and of itself is not a brand, but it acts as the visual representation of a company’s brand personality and values. For a company, a logo is a shorthand to who you are and a reflection of what you stand for. The occasional redesign of a logo is essential to a company’s success and longevity, and may be necessary due to a change in company management, the introduction of a new product or service, the celebration of a significant anniversary, a merger with another company, and so on. Companies and company brands that have built an extensive legacy often require a carefully constructed, transformative new logo to remain relevant without losing any of the value or recognition connected to the old logo. In short, a new logo means a new and improved identity that reflects adaptation and expansion.
In the case of Google, this isn’t the first time their logo has undergone a facelift—and in all likelihood it won’t be the last—but this particular redesign is most noteworthy because the typeface veered away from the serf font used since 1999, subsequently sparking the biggest and most diverse reaction from Google users. What many people fail to realize, though, is that Google—like many other rapidly expanding companies—needs to be able to transform its brand at will in accordance with the augmentation of its services. Google’s new logo not only allows them to use demonstrative graphics that were incompatible with the original logo, but it also sends a clear message to users about Google and its intentions.
With the recent formation of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, now is as good a time as any to refresh the company’s logo. With Alphabet overseeing the products and services that Google created, Google now has the ability and the independence to act as a singular search engine instead of an “overlord” to all its products. As such, Google can now have a more playful look, conveying a sense of freedom over a sense of ownership and responsibility. After all, Google has been a prominent part of the lives of internet users all over the world for almost two decades, which can feel daunting or even foreboding when you remember that the company probably knows more about us than we think. To battle this perception, Google has purposed their new logo to not only reflect the way people interact with their products, but to also remind users that Google is a both a window and guide to an ever-expanding world, having passed the majority of its prior responsibilities on to Alphabet. To accomplish the sense of benevolence needed in the logo redesign, Google now appears in a sans-serif typeface inspired by schoolbook letter-printing, retaining the tetra-color scheme of red, yellow, green and blue, as well as the playfully tilted “e.” In addition, it includes a suite of sub-logos, like the microphone icon that appears when conducting a search through voice command and the tetra-color ‘G’ that marks the Google app on smart phones.
Google’s new logo design also utilizes animated elements in which the letters are manipulated and morphed into things like the colorful microphone, the fluctuating tetra-colored sound bars or the “G” icon. These graphics allow users to interact with Google on a whole new level and help them to identify the services Google is offering, whether accessed through talking, tapping or typing. The logo as a whole is meant to project a more welcoming, whimsical tone than the design that came before, and is meant to make people feel like they are simply using a search engine without the discomfort of feeling trapped in the inner-workings of a computer. By stripping serifs, adjusting kerning and fine-tuning the edges for a sharper look, the font is enhanced on small screens, making life easier for mobile-ready Google users. Overall, the youthful and exuberant feel of this new logo and all that comes with it is a notable and successful portrayal of all the ways Google has evolved for its users outside of the developments of Search, Maps, Android, Gmail, and a dozen other products now under the authority of Alphabet.
Google is not, and was never meant to be, anything intimidating. It is a simple tool at the disposal of those who may or may not need it. As the company itself put on their official blog:
[The logo] doesn’t simply tell you that you’re using Google, but also shows you how Google is working for you.
Not everyone recognizes this, of course. While many people have taken to Google’s new logo and its accompanying features right away, for others it’ll take a while to get used to. Since most people tend to dislike change, it’s very possible that those who “hate” the redesign don’t like it only because it’s unfamiliar, not because it’s new or different. For anyone who’s been using Google since the beginning, or for anyone accustomed to the old logo, the new logo may look strange or even wrong. The good news is that change always sets, and when it does it’s accepted as the new norm, so those who “hate” Google’s new logo will grow to like it with time.
What do you think about Google’s logo makeover?
