Windows Gets a New Logo

Posted by ison Saturday, February 18, 2012 0 comments

A new logo for Windows 8 was doing the rounds last week, and many people considered it to be a fake. It transpires however that this new logo is in fact the real deal, as Microsoft have officially unveiled it today on their Windows blog.

The new logo, which is reminiscent of Microsoft’s new Metro interface, is apparently a window, not a flag (as per previous versions of the Windows logo). In their blog post the company said…

With Windows 8, we approached the logo redesign with a few key goals on mind.
1. We wanted the new logo to be both modern and classic by echoing the International Typographic Style (or Swiss design) that has been a great influence on our Metro style design philosophy. Using bold flat colors and clean lines and shapes, the new logo has the characteristics of way-finding design systems seen in airports and subways.
2. It was important that the new logo carries our Metro principle of being “Authentically Digital”. By that, we mean it does not try to emulate faux-industrial design characteristics such as materiality (glass, wood, plastic, etc.). It has motion – aligning with the fast and fluid style you’ll find throughout Windows 8.
3. Our final goal was for the new logo to be humble, yet confident. Welcoming you in with a slight tilt in perspective and when you change your color, the logo changes to reflect you. It is a “Personal” Computer after all.

The blog provides a commentary on the evolution of the Windows logo. The new logo, similar to the logo for the company’s Windows Phone operating system, will be available in any colour and is much simpler than the logo that has come before and that we’ve been using in one for or another for decades.

This is the most significant change to the Windows logo in all that time, but it could be argued that Windows 8 is also the most significant change to the operating system in just as long. The Windows logo however is one of the most recognised logos on the planet, and it remains to be seen how easily people will recognise the new one. The full logo is below. So what do you think of the new logo? Why not tell us in the comments below.