Wow, that was smooth.
Google has simplified its logo, ridding the world of the slightly old-fashioned, serif font that we have known for nearly 17 years and replaced it with a sans-serif font.
Initially, I was both surprised and a little dismayed that something so familiar was replaced without a word of warning but, at the same time, I see the merits of this action.
Firstly, 17 years is a long time on the web. Yahoo underwent a similar transformation just a couple of years ago but we had a fair warning it was going to happen. Yahoo even crowdsourced the design process before dropping a serif font for one without the pointy corners.
And now, Google has done the exact same thing but without prior public consultation.
I can see why. The new logo is cleaner, sharper, fresher. It is more simple. With simple comes a potential element of reduced sophistication but then again, some serifs are just clumsy.
But what I admire most of all about this new Google logo is the speed and breadth of the change. Not only is the Google logo prevalent on the obvious search but in every single product I’ve seen from Analytics to AdWords to Webmaster Tools to some of the more obscure Google blogs.
Overnight, Google have managed to rebrand absolutely every single web presence as far as I can see. I could be wrong, but I think they’ve done an astounding job.
And when we look at other rebrands, Yahoo! may have lost some of its fun, its wild west feel, its humour and its appeal, becoming more serious, more dull, maybe to attract investment as a proper grown up business now, even though it is well past its sell-by date.
But the BBC’s rebrand is nearly twenty years old now and that has been a real success.
So will the new Google rebrand go down well?
I think it will. The favicon is much sharper now. The colours seem thicker and more vibrant. There’s a boldness to this new G.
But I will miss that little g – that was the most distinctive letter, the one with the most character.
But it’s always been all about Big G hasn’t it? 😉
Tags: branding, digital marketing, Google+, logo, logo design