On Tuesday Google launched their new logo and Twitter exploded with mainly negative feedback regarding the new design. The main criticisms aimed at Google were the perception that the new logo was “too childlike”. In this article we review the new Google logo design and attempt to explain the new design choices that Google have implemented.
Why Have Google Updated Their Logo?
The new update was carried out in line with the recent launch of Google’s new parent company Alphabet. The same typeface, a custom sans-serif font specifically designed for Alphabet and Google has been adopted. The use of the this custom font for both Google and Alphabet translates a level of consistency regarding the two intertwined brands. However the main reason that this custom typeface has been adopted is a matter of adaptability. As Google increasingly moves to tablets, mobiles, watches, car devices and any future device with custom sizes, the logo has to be able to be represented on each device.
The previous ideration of the Google logo was specifically designed for desktop, whereas the new logo along with the G logo mark and four coloured dots can be represented across all platforms in a more versatile manner. As technology evolves these new updates will allow the Google brand to be represented across all platforms.
What we think
In our humble opinions the new Google logo is a marked improvement on it’s predecessors. Following the lead from logo updates from tech giants Ebay’s and Yahoo, Google have distanced their logo slightly from their very quirky multi-coloured serif logo. The new logo communicates a more a more corporate and clean image that reflects Google’s innovation, while maintaining their quirky roots through the now brightened traditional colour palette and rotated letter e.
The main criticism from the new logos detractors is the child like aesthetic that can be gained from the new Google homepage animation. Personally, I am not a fan of the crayon animation, but the logo results combined with the new G mark and fours dots are a marked improvement on the previous serif font. The serif font, to me never communicated innovation and technology. The impression that the crayon animation gives the view is not ideal, but the results are clean and with good logic for recreating the logo, it’s mark and the four dots across all contemporary and new devices.
