Google’s New Logo: Times (New Roman) They Are a-Changin’
If you visit google.com today, you will notice something is different. An animated hand erasing the old familiar logo, and then drawing Google’s new logo in the same colors, but in a different font.
Today, after 16 years, Google released its new identity with a sans-serif typeface. What is sans-serif you ask? First I should explain what a “serif” is. More traditional fonts have small outward projections at the top and bottoms of it’s letters, called “serifs”. The prefix “sans” means a font has no serifs. These fonts can also can be called just “sans” or “gothic”. The new logo uses a font that was actually created by Google’s designers. Named “Product Sans”, it was first revealed in Google’s new Alphabet logo in August.
A rare look behind the scenes of Google’s Creative Lab Arm. Those involved met in New York for “an intense, week-long design sprint.”
The identity update is not just to keep up with the latest design trends, it’s for functionality as well. The old Google logo doesn’t appear clearly on all devices, especially the smaller ones. Product Sans and other sans fonts are easier to scale down to watch faces, and older phones with less screen pixels. Google’s own published case study states:
“Users now engage with Google using a constellation of devices, and our brand should express the same simplicity and delight they expect from our homepage, while fully embracing the opportunities offered by each new device and surface.”
While I will miss the old logo we know and love, I think Google’s new logo is a refreshing change. The primary colors and the rotation of the word mark’s “e” still encompasses the massive company’s playfulness and offbeat nature. While it won’t rock the design community at it’s core, it still serves a functional purpose and presents a clean look. Do you think the update was needed? Start the discussion below!
Here’s a really cool video Google just released showing the evolution of their identity.