<p><br><strong><em>By Steve Blakeman</em></strong><br><br>After a decade of use, Google ditched its old logo this week in favour of an ‘all new and improved’ version. Some of the reactions have been pretty extreme including a few that are not quite so complimentary...<br><br>Firstly, what exactly has it done? Well just a month after a major restructuring of the company, Google is putting on a fresh face to the world. The new product sans typeface is designed to make it appear a little more modern and playful. Some say it’s more like fridge magnets. Or that is shows us the way to Sesame Street...<br><br>Apparently, the colours are much softer hues than previously. It’s indiscernible to my dodgy eyes though. I even put my glasses on, but I still can’t make out the difference.<br><br>There is also a more than a passing resemblance to Alphabet’s (Google’s new parent company) logo. And of course it isn’t a coincidence that their design language is remarkably similar as they are clearly seeking to maximise the synergies between the two.<br><br><img alt="" src="http://bw-image.s3.amazonaws.com/google-logo.jpg" style="width: 259px; height: 207px; float: right; margin: 5px;">Secondly, why did Google change it? Google says the main reason is because technology has changed how we interact with its products and with the Internet at large. Fair enough, that’s a point I get. However, what I don’t understand is why it needed to redesign the logo as a consequence. It goes on to say that the new logo will better reflect the reality that Google is no longer a desktop destination, it’s a humongous array of websites, mobile apps and other services that you visit on a multitude of devices. According to Google, it believes that its new logo reflects this reality and it seemingly demonstrates:“when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens”.<br><br>Hmm. All that said the question remains — why does it need a new logo to convey ‘the Google magic’ on small screens. Frankly I didn’t detect any issues with the old one.<br><br>Some designers have argued that it’s too simplistic to talk about it as a change of logo stating that this is more about a change in ‘identity’. The logo only represents one facet of that identity and as such is merely a symbol of some of the aspects that define the Google brand: simplicity, creativity and playfulness. And I don’t doubt the wisdom of the design experts. After all, it is their craft. But we humans are fickle beings and are all too quick to proffer our opinions on absolutely anything, particularly on those things that are so familiar to us in every day life.<br><br>And finally, what about the reaction from consumers? Well for such an inoffensive, quirky, colourful and cute logo it has caused some interesting reactions on Twitter; some are amusing and some a little odd.<br><br>So come on what do you think? Do you love it or loathe it? Either way, let’s face it, you are still going to use it rather than Bing.<br><br><em>The author is managing director of Global Accounts at OMD</em><br><br>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 05-10-2015)</p>
