So I went on Google today, as I pretty much do everyday. And something looked...different. Now, Google is known for being creative with their logo on their homepage by switching things up for holidays and special events, but this logo was not that. It was the normal logo...almost.
The Google brand is one of the biggest and most successful brands in recent memory, despite not having the most beautiful or conventional brand mark in the world. To change anything about the monster search engine and their logo must have been a huge issue of debate within the company and one that went through a lot of trial and error. The final result seems almost simple. Many casual observers may not even realize something is different or even be able to tell what is different. But Google has made a permanent change, not a daily holiday gimmick change. Goodbye, drop shadow. Hello simplicity.
The changes are subtle, but for a company of Google's stature, this is a huge change. In addition to the drop shadow disappearing, the embossing has been refined. The overall effect makes the colors feel brighter. This is the perfect example of how a drop shadow can hurt a design. Funny how everyone thinks a drop shadow is always a good thing. Losing the shadow is a step up. They have made changes without sacrificing the trademark white homepage, which would have been devastating.
The purpose behind the change, as I found out, was to coincide with the new engine functions and look. Changing the logo to be sleeker and simpler was a bold move to tell people that something is different about Google. I think this is a big improvement, even though it takes some getting used to. But I have to give Google credit for taking a bold step, when they could have stood still and no one would have cared. As for the new search toolbar on the left of my favorite search engine, I'll have to get back to you on that.
Google Blog
