Scribd
Upload
91 views5 pages

The New Microsoft Logo

The document discusses Microsoft's new logo and visual identity, which uses the Segoe typeface. While Segoe fits with Microsoft's existing visual style in Windows and was designed to work well in user interfaces, it is similar to Frutiger and other humanist sans-serifs used by other major tech brands. This makes Microsoft's new logo feel unoriginal and like they are still following trends rather than setting them, despite innovations like Windows 8. The implementation of Segoe on Microsoft's website also feels quite basic and boring compared to how Apple uses type in its visual identity.

Uploaded by

Edward Kok
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
91 views5 pages

The New Microsoft Logo

The document discusses Microsoft's new logo and visual identity, which uses the Segoe typeface. While Segoe fits with Microsoft's existing visual style in Windows and was designed to work well in user interfaces, it is similar to Frutiger and other humanist sans-serifs used by other major tech brands. This makes Microsoft's new logo feel unoriginal and like they are still following trends rather than setting them, despite innovations like Windows 8. The implementation of Segoe on Microsoft's website also feels quite basic and boring compared to how Apple uses type in its visual identity.

Uploaded by

Edward Kok
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

f o nt sinuse .

co m

http://fo ntsinuse.co m/uses/2007/the-new-micro so ft-lo go

The New Microsoft Logo


The old tech giant f reshens up, but still looks like a f ollower.
Today, Microsof t announced a new logo using Segoe . It is their f irst logo change since 1987 and it certainly f eels f resher than their aging mark in Helvetica Bold Italic. T he typef ace choice could be considered quite f itting. It f ollows the visual identity that Microsof t already established in their products and marketing f or years, and it ref lects the style of typography that is at the core of their Windows Phone and Windows 8 (f ormerly Metro) operating systems. But I think its the wrong choice. Or maybe the right one, but several years too late.

Mic ro s o ft Wind o ws 8 re p re s e nts a d ramatic c hang e fro m p re vio us Wind o ws ve rs io ns . Its b uilt aro und a s imp le layo ut o f tile s and the Se g o e WP typ e fac e .

Segoe is a typef ace that is clearly inspired by Adrian Frutigers landmark 1975 design f or the Charles de Gaulle Airport signage. Some (including the European Union) say Segoe is too similar to Frutiger, earning it the same derision that Arial gets f or its similarity to Helvetica: Microsof ts poor replication of a typef ace they didnt want to pay f or. Perhaps its a hair-splitting rebuttal, but Segoe is not a Microsof t design or commission it was an existing Monotype typef ace that Microsof t licensed. But whatever the legal and ethical considerations, I have more respect f or Segoe as a design than Arial. It doesnt f orce itself into Frutigers metrics (letter widths and spacing) and designer Steve Matteson incorporated changes that especially in the UI and WP variations make sense f or their intended use.

T he problem with the new Microsof t logo isnt really that Segoe is an unoriginal typef ace, its that Segoe makes f or an unoriginal identity. Last year, Sam Berlow noticed how a trip through the mall has become a monotonous typographic experience. A similar cloud of unif ormity has now descended over the landscape of mainstream technology, which is now a f ield of brands set in Humanist type. Over ten years ago, Apple shif ted away f rom its condensed IT C Garamond to Myriad, Robert Slimbachs interpretation of the Frutiger model. (Adobe also uses Myriad quite of ten, although a new identity f ace was announced in 2009.) T here are signs that Myriad is growing stale in Cupertino Helvetica is gradually becoming Apples f irst choice on the screens of its devices, and we could see it replace Myriad in their marketing as well but f or now, it is clearly the f ace of Apple. And to most viewers, Myriad and Segoe are essentially the same thing. Of course, there is more to a visual brand than the typef ace. How Microsof t uses Segoe can determine its personality. Looking at the homepages of Microsof t and Apple one sees some obvious dif f erences: Microsof t is wisely echoing the Metro UI, predominantly white type aligned to the sides and corners of brightly colored boxes, while Apple f loats black Myriad in spare white backgrounds in the same tried-and-true way it has done f or over a decade. Still, the implementation isnt enough to propel Microsof t as a recognizable brand. T heir homepage is f airly dull, almost like a stock web template. And while I commend the daring simplicity of the symbol in the new logo (a welcome attitude in the wake of recent gradients and drop shadows), it has the same ef f ect as the website design: so basic its banal.

Main imag e ry fro m the c urre nt ho me p ag e s o f Mic ro s o ft.c o m and Ap p le .c o m: typ o g rap hic b ro the rs .

Some comments on the Monotony of Retail article suggested that Sams call f or variety was missing the point. T he goal of a major consumer brand isnt to grab the publics attention, or even to distinguish oneself . T he goal is to make shoppers f eel comf ortable. Familiarity breeds trust. Two or three years ago, I would have said this approach f alls in line with Microsof ts culture and identity: trying so hard not to of f end that the result is bland, routine, expected. But ever since they f irst revealed Metro, a UI design language that is truly innovative and new, I got the f eeling Microsof t was making a real ef f ort to be a leader. Yet, in using a Frutiger-esque typef ace f or their logo and visual identity, they simply resume their position as a f ollower, appearing (in spite of their innovations) many years behind the curve.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy