Another day, another flat logo. So what brand is getting in on the trend this time? Why, it’s Google Chrome!
That’s right, we have another flat logo to analyze here at PRINT, with Google Chrome unveiling a new suite of brand icons that will appear across various devices and operating systems in the coming months. It also marks the first time in eight years that Google updated its logo, and, from the looks of it, they really didn’t do much in the way of rocking the boat with this new iteration.
Simplicity was the name of the game here, with the extent of the refresh including tweaked elements of the previous version. They’ve stripped down the predecessor by removing the shadows and shading, refined the icon’s proportions, and brightened its colors.
Some changes to the logo are likely imperceptible to most. For example, Chrome designer Elvin Hu explained on Twitter how his team found that placing particular shades of green and red next to each other created an “unpleasant color vibration.” To combat this, they introduced a subtle gradient to the main icon.
Hu and company created OS-specific customizations for the logo so that they feel at home and in sync with each individual device. “We want the icons to feel recognizably Chrome, but also well crafted for each OS,” he shared.
For Windows devices, the icons have a gradated look, so they mesh with Windows 10 and 11. The ChromeOS versions use brighter colors with gradients like the other system icons, while the macOS varietals skew more 3D. The Google Chrome Beta app on iOS will use a blueprint-inspired design, nodding to Apple’s developer-focused apps.
Hu is openly eliciting feedback from the public on what he shared on Twitter last week, and some critical flags have already been raised. One user points out that this new icon is less legible for folks that are color blind, for example. A few have riffed off Chrome’s evolution, like @najodleglejszy:
Meanwhile, others in the thread are begging for a return to the Google aesthetics of the past, imploring Chrome to revive the 2008 logo. And honestly, I’m right there with them. Sure, the 2022 logo is clean, clear, and flexible. But I can’t help but yearn for some of that logo flair of yore!