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Microsoft Unveils First New Company Logo In 25 Years
Barence writes "For the first time in 25 years, Microsoft has issued a new company logo to usher in the Windows 8 era. Made up of a newly square Windows symbol alongside grey Microsoft logo type, it's been designed to closely match the logos for other products in Microsoft's portfolio, including Office and Xbox. The logo takes pride of place on Microsoft.com from today, and will be used in Microsoft's retail stores and on all future TV ads."
there is no dollar sign in there.
Next best thing to putting Clippy in there, I guess.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
I'm pretty sure I've already seen this exact logo out in front of their Microsoft Store at University Village for quite some time now (maybe a year?).
#DeleteChrome
The designer must of taken a whole lunch break to create it.
It's so beautiful I wept!
This article shows a history of Microsoft's logos.
http://www.bestlookinglogos.com/2009/07/four-square-logo/
or they paid him $50 for it
It really does look like the image used on a Quatro can: http://www.canmuseum.com/Staging/Images/Cans/22681.jpg
#DeleteChrome
Is there a mechanism one can use for pushing stuff below an interest threshold?
I don't like the spacing between the f and t, aesthetically, but I like clean lines and simple designs so it works pretty well for me.
So is the average user going to think that the logo is the app for the game Simon? Artistic brilliance, aye! Should make that playable while computer boots...
Doesn't look to fancy. Simplicity can be very expensive.
*crickets*
To be expected. What I want to know is:
a) How much time did they spend on this?
b) How much money did they spend on it?
Anything north of 12 months and $50 mil, I'll be suitably disgusted and impressed. 24 months and $100 mil, they deserve some kind of fail award.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
Interesting...a few weeks ago I recall seeing an article somewhere about supposedly leaked designs for new Microsoft devices -- I think it was a portable mouse and some other things, can't remember where I saw it. But one of the comments pointed out that it was probably fake, because the Microsoft logo on the devices didn't have their usual slant, didn't have the notch in the o.....it basically looked like this one. Perhaps they weren't fake after all?
Worse than the flag, that's an achievement.
Have you got your LWN subscription yet?
Thank goodness their logo doesn't have any rounded corners.
The ft ligature looks a bit like its standing out. Like they want their name to be stressed MicrosoFT and you get spit all over your screen.
When asked why, the answer is almost always: "It's 2014".
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Apparently this is the "less is more" philosophy... but at the same time, it is plain and unimaginative. Isn't it bad for a company that aims to prove that they can reinvent themselves?
"It must have took around 5 minutes in paint to come up with that design..."
"I can't help but think of windows 3.11 for some reason."
"Does my monitor need calibrating again, or do those four colours in the panes look curiously sickly?"
"Intelligence has nothing to do with politics!"
-Londo Mollari
Not.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
And the jagged diagonal lines on "MICROSOFT" are so retro Win3.1. Flying toasters are out. Flying chairs are in.
Really? This looks like the last thing you drew before you thought, "I should try out the circle brush."
Four squares and some basic typeset.
I can't even imagine how much they actually paid for this with all the different designs submitted, numerous meetings going over designs, tweaks to it.
I can imagine the comments in the meeting though.
"Yeah Bob. What we're looking for is something that says simple and not over thought. Go back and try AGAIN."
My studio - www.graylands.ca
Seriously, this is the best they could do?
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Looks very Metro. (Tha'ts not a compliment)
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
A new logo. That's gonna help a lot.
DaveyJJ
How completely utterly boring. Are they /trying/ to be the old fashioned square to Apples new and chic demeanor? Seriously, Microsoft, why are you committing corporate suicide lately?
New Microsoft logo looks like it was designed in Paint
So that font they're using looks suspiciously like another one I've seen before. A font associated with a certain "fruit company," one might say. Good to know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
how long before /. updates their logo then?
Compare with the Polaroid logo.
This tiled-rectangle thing is getting completely out of hand. Even on phones it looks stupid.
I bet the designer got paid more for that logo than I make in a year.
return your logo to the 1980's...
Mod me down, I shall become more off-topic than you could possibly imagine.
Oh boy! Instead of a flying window of its me too windowing environment, it's the me too of the giant smartphone tiny touchscreen square buttons paradigm transparently the future of the giant multimonitor desktop!
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
...and, much like vista, it is a huge disappointment
...or does their new logo look far less futuristic than their old one?
I mean seriously, it's 2012 and they're putting out a logo reminiscent of the 80s? Actually that's insulting the logos that various companies in the 80s WERE putting out!
Regardless it looks plain and 'old' to me.
Microsoft! It's time for a mutiny!
the only one to see a swastika?
The logo designer company is going to clap hands and open the bottles... 5 minutes work, 350.000 $ made. Yeah, Baby!
Given the latest developments, the font should've been MS Comic Sans.
Its a double rainbow... omg
there is no dollar sign in there.
Of course there isn't. The logotype part is "Microsoft", not "MS". The dollar sign, an homage to Microsoft's roots as a BASIC interpreter publisher, comes in only when you abbreviate it as M$.
I'm totally upgrading to Metro now!
Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
M$ has too much cash on hand to be sold off.
How much cash would Microsoft have to hemorrhage before having to spin out pieces of itself? Would Xbox be the first to go?
That thing is so bad the f is molesting the t out of sheer despair.
Now that's something i would expect from FOSS lol not MS. Who will not let Apple out innovate them. Not a very good start ide say.
Jack of all trades,master of none
Windows 7 was a bad OS too. XP wins hands down as Win 7 is just Vista SP 2
It's one thing they want to emphasize a new design formula - they can create a Surface brand around that, and even standarize the Windows/Office logos to match this change... but to change one of the most known corporate logo in the industry? All just to reflect and match a visual layout that will necessarily be replaced in 3-6 years?
Yeah, like I don't recognize the War Flag of the Holy Roman Empire when I see it. Come on..
Fool me wunce, shame on me. Fool me again, and.......how's that go?
Forward! -- Emperor Norton, 2012
Am I really the only one here who prefers this over the old logo?
There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics - Umberto Eco
So is the average user going to think that the logo is the app for the game Simon?
No, you're thinking of the first logo for Google Chrome.
Well, it looks like a rectangular technicolor yawn to me.
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
...to screw a light bulb?
Nobody has the answer to this mystery yet. The room is still dark.
The ones from Windows 3.1, 95, XP, Vista, and 7 all look different... why would anyone say it's the first time in 25 years?
Agreed about the revival. Or look at the more trendy clothing companies out there in the mall with the sans serifs. Fitted pants and skinny ties....or "skinny'-anything for that matter.
We're in a 'Less is More' period. My only criticism is that Microsoft jumped on this bandwagon kind of late and I foresee this minimalism only lasting another 5 years or so.
ligature, not kerning, you mean.
I've sort of always hoped they would change their name to "Macrohard"
XKCD:Xeric Knowledge Comically Dispen
Yes, both Apple's Myriad and Microsoft's Segoe (rhymes with ego) are inspired by Frutiger.
It could look good enough in smartphones and maybe tablets, but have you tried to see that logo in a desktop?
This logo looks like it came out of a middle-school art contest in the 80's.
Do they even realize how hokey it is or have they just all drank the Metro kool-aid?
with an X on it. Looks like it was created in a 1985 copy of MacPaint.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
It looks ugly, doesn't invite and provokes no emotion.
Out of creativity, Microsoft?
It looks like a cubist version of the rainbow Apple logo.
Well, we had a browser that was "part of the OS" that they removed from the OS; we had a start button that didn't start anything, their Plays for Sure music doesn't play any more, and now Windows doesn't have any windows. I say they're a bunch of liars!
who sees 'google' colors all over it???
I mean, red-green-blue-yellow......yeah, yeah, I know MS used them before. I know is 'almost RGB + CMYK (well, RGBY for that matter)' and is not new, but that logo screams '80's google' that 'ehy I'm super-cool future metro-man'. I'm just saying.....
It makes me think Balmer's primary purpose is to destroy the Gates' fortune. He's such a nutcase.
For the tenth time in twenty years, Microsoft has reworked the menu and short cut layout requiring everyone relearn how to use their crappy software.
I'm fine with Microsoft's new logo. It certainly looks much better than any of their previous logos. However, their new flat gray color scheme with 80's era upper case menu items is crap. It is painful to look at. I've been thinking a lot about why Microsoft moved to such crap color scheme and the only thing I can come up with is they are trying to distinguish themselves from Apple and maybe Google. Apple has a similar color scheme but the difference is they make tasteful use of shiny buttons, bevels and drop shadow. It seems like Microsoft didn't want to copy them so they decided to go with the exact opposite. Now, I'm definitely not an Apple fan boy but seriously, Apple's site looks 100x better than Microsoft's. In fact, I think Microsoft's new color scheme and branding strategy widened the gap. If I didn't know better, I'd say a decree came down from the top that the next branding/marketing strategy had to differentiate Microsoft from their competition. Microsoft definitely accomplished that... in the worst way possible.
We'll make great pets
Microsoft. We're the box you can think in.
http://www.guidebookgallery.org/pics/gui/startupshutdown/splash/winnt351.png
* The one from Windows NT 3.51...
APK
P.S.=> I have always liked "3d-ish" design in things is why... apk
MacPaint was only available in black and white in 1985 (and until the advent of the Macintosh II)
The window 7 logo was #65535 and then it cycled back to zero.
Appropriately ugly.
http://www.acetonestudio.com
who even has such hokey stained-glass windows? why are the f & t engaged in intercourse? it reads MicrosoA...MicrosoAp? subliminal microsoFT Windows, FTW!
It's not new, it's from 1995. http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft039s-logo-is-not-new-it039s-from-1995
...we decided to go with something that looks like someone's FAVICON.ICO.
Is it just me, or are those basically the same primary colors as Google?
Proverbs 21:19
That logo looks rather bland. Might as well change the name of the company to Windows.
I haven't seen it yet. But I have no doubt it's rounder and swirly. Like the old logo after running a swirly side effect. Let's go see...
Wow, was I wrong! Can't say I really like the new logo. Guess the old one was fine.
They should have dropped the text, IMO. Or at least did something about that "r" that's about to poke a hole in the "o".
I guess I'll now refer to them as M&S Block.
I talked with Steve once, and he described four squares "powerful". It is because it represents the analytical character of the company and Ballmer himself. Steve didnt spent any money on this logo, he just said to make it like this, so it's as powerful as garther quadrant.
Do you get the link? Analytical minds (Ballmer and programmers), magic quadrant, 4 microsoft divisions?
It is one of the best logos in IT business with long history (as for IT), have some respect guys.
The difference from companies like Apple is that Microsoft is a pure software company, like purely analytical and not even a bit hardware. This is changing and if successful, they will become like apple, and they will change their logo again, because in fact these squares should be in different size one the company hits the hardware business.
These are important messages to investors, and taken very seriously. That's why Ballmer did design it himself.
Actually, I meant brought to you by designers *using* Microsoft Paint, but that didn't fit into the subject line.
Why didn't Microsoft use Comic Sans for their new logo? After all, this typeface is most commonly associated with Windows, even by people who have no idea what fonts are.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
The thing immediately reminded me of the failed new Gap logo from a way back... sans-serif with less letters and more squares. The Gap logo black on blue was really bad. The MS logo doesn't really offend any of my sensibilities.
I like that they made ft into a ligature (the old logo did that too, but the word Microsoft in the Windows logo did not).
4 Square of different color -- my eyes are blinded.
Related, here's the last 25 years of Windows logos and my take on the next 20 lol: http://firestream.net/images/posts/msnext20.jpg
firestream.net
Ballmer's attempt at being cool and hip :)
new logo... epic fail
Who cares.
Worst logo EVER!
there is no dollar sign in there.
If you watch the video introducing the logo, you'll note that three of the colors represent broad categories of Microsoft - Blue is Windows, Red is Office, and Green is XBox.
So what's the color remaining they didn't provide an explicit mapping for in the video?
Gold.
Well played, Microsoft.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Just sayin'
H&R Block is even simpler: 1 green square ( http://www.hrblock.com/ ).
H&R could claim MS copied them 4 times and sue for 4x infringement.
Table-ized A.I.
MS always copies Apple.....poorly. MS stole the NeXT logo and removed a dimension.
Table-ized A.I.
Meet Pig.
For years, Microsoft has been stuck on making everything "Windows". "Word for Windows". "Windows Live Messenger". "Windows Phone". Their marketing department seems convinced that it's their strongest brand and needs to be spread to absolutely everything, no matter how irrelevant.
They clearly now have committed the whole company to it, building the Windows logo into the company logo.
Personally, I think it's tedious and repititive and of little value. But they clearly aren't going to let go now...
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke
If they're so adamant that their tiles aren't the worst UI decision in human history, might as well get married to it, lol.
I was hoping for something ingenius like the FedEx arrow. All I can see is something sort of phallic going on with the f and the t at the end. It's like a squirting penis, or a penis wearing a broken condom. Think about it. Once it comes into focus (no pen intended) you'll think of it as the penis logo. Without that, it really is a bland wasteland of nothingness with some boxes that Sheldon piled up next to it in anal retentive fashion. That's it! Anal retentive on one end, penis on the other. There's not enough epic for this fail.
I think you have a valid point. Aside from Windows and Office, I think the only MS product without Windows incorporated into it and succeed is Xbox.
The design pushes the importance to the Microsoft by using that join on the f and t. It's almost trying to downplay the actual 4-square logo.
When I first looked at it I thought it was a joke!
There are some very successful con-men selling crappy logos to companies.
sadly it may have taken many days and many dollars to produce a logo that will look OK on the default low res startup graphic that was greeting me with Win95, but this is 2012 and I just can't believe that that is the best that could be done, so very lame, which matches Win 8.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
The definition of "futuristic" has been challenged
and only squares and text are allowed, so this is what the came up with. Entirely predictable and makes sense to me.
In future news:
- Microsoft announces licensing agreement with Apple to be able to use rounded corners in the UI formerly known as Metro.
~3 months later:
- Microsoft announces new logo (the squares use rounded corners).
Check out the logo for AVG antivirus. Even though they aren't exactly identical, they are so close that I predict a trademark lawsuit. I don't know if AVG would actually *win*, but I bet they try.
Nah, they will never get rid of Ballmer. He gave us one of the top 100 internet memes of all times! :: )
Join me in a round of Developers!
Classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMU0tzLwhbE
AudioSurf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3m8e0Un_Jc
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
After looking at this very UN-inspiring logo.. I imagine it went something like this....
Manager: "Johnson, is that new logo ready?"... ... right.. that's what I was going for..."
Johnson: "Umm... yeah... sort of. ", [pulls out some colored blocks he started one night, but never got any further]
Manger: "That's brilliant! Looks like windows 8"
Johnson: [eyes dart around] "ummm.. yeah!
I happen to know that a Federal Government Agency in the early 2000s paid $75 grand for a sucky logo. It looked like a kid with a Mac "designed it", in two colors and about 10 minutes. That agency has an art department that I'm sure could have done a better job. It has since been replaced. No telling what a company like Microsoft paid for theirs.
This guy did a personal MS re-branding exercise a few months ago. His combination of rhomboids looks much more modern and appealing to me.
http://www.minimallyminimal.com/blog/2012/7/3/the-next-microsoft.html
The new 4 colored squares in a square doesn't do it for me.
The new logo looks ugly and oldfashioned. Just like Windows Phone or Windows 8.
I know the article has been posted for awhile, but this just hit me. It's an epiphany.
This is a downgraded logo. It's the logo of a once puissant company that is on the decline. It's an admission that "we're still going to be around, but in a reduced capacity". It's Microsoft marketing... giving up.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
The small version of the logo (for example in the upper left corner of their home page) appears significantly misaligned. The red box will appear to be 2/3 of a pixel to the left of the blue box on most LCD panels due to the structure of the RGB elements in each pixel. The strong vertical lines and narrow gaps in the logo, along with the vertically aligned primary colors, makes this a really glaring problem. How embarassing for Microsoft, inventors of ClearType some 15 years ago, who should have known all about this issue.
It took me about 10 seconds to notice this and another 10 seconds to figure out why. Microsoft spent how long and how much money coming up with this logo?