02/09/2015 Something very big just happened at Google
You go to bed every night imagining that everything in your world is in its usual place and ready to greet you through bleary eyes the following morning. Then you wake up to discover that something you use multiple times every day has changed, it looks different and doesn’t have the same old familiarity it had yesterday.
Overnight (in GMT terms) Google has unveiled a brand new logo and although the colour palette may be the same as it was yesterday, this marks a huge shift for the company whose brand name has become a synonym for internet search.
Earlier this summer, Google announced that search volumes on mobile devices had overtaken desktop in the UK and this sits at the heart of their rationale for the logo revamp. Facebook also cited increasing usage on mobile devices as the reason behind its (very) subtle logo update back in July. The design tweak delivered a Facebook logo that was cleaner, clearer and more legible on small screens in all international markets – after all not everyone in the world experiences Facebook and Google on an iPhone 6.
The new Google logo is playful, creative and full of energy – as much in static as animated form. Today the Google homepage is proudly displaying the logo in all of its various forms, on rotation. The four-colour ‘G’ is prouder, more assertive and ultimately better branded that it’s lower case predecessor. The four dots and four-coloured Google mic icon all indicate this brand means business, way beyond internet search and this brand is very aligned with how we now use mobile devices and voice activated technology commands throughout our daily lives.
I love the new design. I think this update is well timed and a strong move for a company that needs to shift perception from being “just a search engine” to avoid becoming a victim of its own success. It’s about business performance as much as design. Google needs to replicate its financial success in search in other digital products and services. This creative update signals that it’s ready.