(Credit: Microsoft)
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Some of the most recognizable iconography in tech is set to get an overhaul for the first time since 2018. Microsoft is updating the logos of many of its most popular 365 services.
There are new icons for Defender, Excel, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, and Word. The new icons have more fluid shapes rather than the rigid icons previously used.
Microsoft's Jon Friedman, CVP of design and research for the software, wrote a blog post explaining the changes. He says, “Sharp edges and crisp lines are replaced by smooth folds and curves, giving the icons a sense of playful motion and approachability.”
The brand has also embraced more color with this redesign, focusing on richer and vibrant shades for each icon.
Friedman also explains how the company had considered dropping the letter icons from logos, such as Word and OneNote, as part of the redesign. He says, “Their brand equity is so strong, however, that we decided to keep them—maintaining our heritage while also modernizing them through a more cohesive visual integration with the overall design.”
(Credit: Microsoft)The brand has also tried to simplify each of the logos. It was inspired by Microsoft's work on the Copilot logo, which debuted in 2023, as well as the influence of AI services across all of Microsoft 365. Friedman says, "A reflection and a result of Copilot’s transformative impact, the new designs visually complete a cycle where art and truth continuously shape each other."
The below image from Microsoft shows the history of its Office iconography. Outlook is the app that has had the most icon redesigns as it had an additional tweak in 2023. It also shows the original four logos for Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word from 2001 before they were soon changed in 2003.
(Credit: Microsoft)Aside from Outlook, this is also the longest period between redesigns for Microsoft's icons with 2018's design lasting for seven years. Previously, the record was five years between 2003 and 2007.
If you're feeling nostalgic about Microsoft's older look, you may be interested in the new Windows XP Crocs announced by the brand for its 50th birthday. The shoes come with custom charms of Clippy and the Internet Explorer logo.