In addition to rolling out its Google+ social-networking experiment, Google on Tuesday also unveiled another update to its homepage and related products.
On Google.com, the company logo is a bit smaller, and links across the top of the page are now housed within a black bar. When you conduct a search, the links on the left-hand side of the page have more space between them. The link for the section in which you're searching, meanwhile, is red, while the other links are black. Your location and timeframe preferences are also in red.
"The new Google experience that we've begun working toward is founded on three key design principles: focus, elasticity and effortlessness," Chris Wiggins, Google's creative director for digital, said in a blog post.
Wiggins said Google wants users to have a "more seamless and consistent online experience—one that works no matter which Google product you're using or what device you're using it on."
Recent changes, therefore, as well as those scheduled for the coming months, highlight "the stuff that matters to you and getting all the other clutter out of your way," he said. "Even simple changes, like using bolder colors for actionable buttons or hiding navigation buttons until they're actually needed, can help you better focus on only what you need at the moment."
Given that Google users are increasingly accessing the company's services on mobile devices, Wiggins said the "new design will soon allow you to seamlessly transition from one device to another and have a consistent visual experience."
Google said the design improvements will start rolling out today and over the next few months across Search, Maps, Gmail, and more.
Tuesday's update comes about a year after Google added the Bing-esque left side panel for result filtering.
For more, see PCMag's hands on with Google+ and the slideshow below.