Microsoft confirms the new Windows 8 logo

By +Frank B.
in The Fast Ring (Insider Previews)

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

+Frank B. Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

Redesigning the Windows Logo

We have said that Windows 8 is a complete reimagination of the Windows operating system. Nothing has been left unexplored, including the Windows logo, to evaluate how it held up to modern PC sensibilities. The Windows logo is a strong and widely recognized mark but when we stepped back and analyzed it, we realized an evolution of our logo would better reflect our Metro style design principles and we also felt there was an opportunity to reconnect with some of the powerful characteristics of previous incarnations.

We had a very short list of agencies that we wanted to work with on the redesign of the logo and were thrilled when Pentagram agreed to join us in the project. Pentagram?s illustrious history speaks for itself, but we were particularly attracted to their sense of classic graphic design which fit well with our Metro design principles.

Early in the development cycle for Windows 8, in a conference room on the Microsoft campus, we assembled a kick off meeting with Paula Scher, Michael Beirut and Daniel Weil from Pentagram and a few designers and marketing leaders from Windows and across the company. The team spent a full day sharing some of the Metro style design philosophy; the Windows brand history and values as well as graphic design and technology industry trends.

"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle."- George Orwell

That is the feeling we had when Paula Scher (from the renowned Pentagram design agency) showed us her sketches for the new Windows logo.

It?s a window? not a flag

Paula asked us a simple question, ?your name is Windows. Why are you a flag??

In some ways you can trace the evolution of the Windows logo in parallel with the advancements of the technology used to create logos. From the simple two color version in Windows 1.0 to the intricate and detailed renderings in Windows Vista and Windows 7, each change makes sense in the context in which it was created. As computing capabilities increased, so did the use of that horse power to render more colors, better fonts, and more detailed and life-like 3D visual effects like depth, shadows, and materiality. We have evolved from a world of rudimentary low resolution graphics to today?s rich high-resolution systems. And what started as a simple ?window? to compliment the product name became a flying or waving flag.

But if you look back to the origins of the logo you see that it really was meant to be a window. "Windows" really is a beautiful metaphor for computing and with the new logo we wanted to celebrate the idea of a window, in perspective. Microsoft and Windows are all about putting technology in people's hands to empower them to find their own perspectives. And that is what the new logo was meant to be. We did less of a re-design and more to return it to its original meaning and bringing Windows back to its roots ? reimagining the Windows logo as just that ? a window.

5315.winlogo_2D00_history3_5F00_thumb_5F00_20CF425A.jpg

Let?s look back at a few of the versions along the way.

Windows 1.0

Few remember the original Windows logo, yet we found it both refreshing and inspiring in relation to the work we have been doing on the Metro style design visuals. Using simple lines and clear straight forward concept, this logo reminded us of what a great and evocative name we have with ?windows?.

6318.2_5F00_thumb_5F00_0B0559FD.png

Windows 3.1

For many of us this was the image in our mind when we think of past Windows logos. The now classic window shape and the introduction of the four colors were hallmarks of the Windows brand for many years to come. The introduction of the ?waving effect? gives the logo a sense of motion. This logo would be the basis of the Windows versions throughout the 1990s.

4377.3_5F00_thumb_5F00_51161710.png

Windows XP

The next major incarnation of the logo came with the release of Windows XP. What has come to be known as the ?Windows flag? is a cleaner more sophisticated mark than its predecessors. The version that populated the lower left hand corner of Windows PCs next to the word ?Start? also gained a sense of materiality (plastic?) and a 3D effect from the rich gradients and shadows.

5775.4_5F00_thumb_5F00_6939816B.jpg

Windows Vista

The Windows Vista release marked the beginning of the AERO design aesthetic in Windows with a key component of the interface being the ?AERO glass? effect. Replacing the green Start button was the round glass-like button with a now flattened version of the ?flag? from Windows XP. Internally, this icon became known as the ?pearl?. You can see the intricate lighting effects of the faux glass. In many ways signaling just how powerful of a rendering engine the PC had become. This version of the logo was largely unchanged for Windows 7.

1018.5_5F00_thumb_5F00_080FF54A.png

Windows 8

With Windows 8, we approached the logo redesign with a few key goals on mind.

1. We wanted the new logo to be both modern and classic by echoing the International Typographic Style (or Swiss design) that has been a great influence on our Metro style design philosophy. Using bold flat colors and clean lines and shapes, the new logo has the characteristics of way-finding design systems seen in airports and subways.

2. It was important that the new logo carries our Metro principle of being ?Authentically Digital?. By that, we mean it does not try to emulate faux-industrial design characteristics such as materiality (glass, wood, plastic, etc.). It has motion ? aligning with the fast and fluid style you?ll find throughout Windows 8.

3. Our final goal was for the new logo to be humble, yet confident. Welcoming you in with a slight tilt in perspective and when you change your color, the logo changes to reflect you. It is a ?Personal? Computer after all.

0363.Win8Logo_5F00_01_5F00_thumb_5F00_3BD7EB9B.jpg

We hope you enjoy our new logo.

Sam Moreau

Principal Director of User Experience for Windows

Source: The Windows Blog

Grand Master

PGHammer

Posted
Posted

Just saw it on twitter :/

Replied: @windowsblog I saw this a couple of days ago :/ It looked so bad I thought it was fake... I really hope it grows on me..

And hearing it explained like that, I found myself....agreeing with Pentagram, and wondering just how muddleheaded traditionalism and backlinking to the past has gotten - in and out of technology.

Until now, the central part of the Windows logo has remained "unchanged" since XP, to be honest. Given how much the rest of the product had changed (not even factoring in the changes coming in Windows 8 itself), it comes down to backlinking.

However, expect massive howls of protest.

Grand Master

+Ryster Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

I like the new logo, it's clean and bold, and reflects the new design of the OS. That said, like lcg above, I like it no more than the current one.

In response to DigitalSnow, I have a feeling the colour of the logo and text is not fixed, and can be variable depending on where it's used. To reflect different editions perhaps. That's the beauty of a flat logo like this. It can also operate in negative (so white logo and text) on a coloured background.

Well? it does look like a real window. And it also looks like tiles. And they have simplified it the Web 2.0 way.

This.

Grand Master

djdanster

Posted
Posted

Seriously who are these mugs at the Windows Design team? They SUCK BIG TIME!

The previous colours look like effort was actually put into creating the logo, this however looks like very little work was committed!

Maybe it would look a bit better if it has multicoloured tiles...

Grand Master

Lee G. Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

I like the new logo, it's clean and bold, and reflects the new design of the OS.

In response to DigitalSnow, I have a feeling the colour of the logo and text is not fixed, and can be variable depending on where it's used. To reflect different editions perhaps. That's the beauty of a flat logo like this. It can also operate in negative (so white logo and text) on a coloured background.

I agree, and yes, the new logo does change colour:

3. Our final goal was for the new logo to be humble, yet confident. Welcoming you in with a slight tilt in perspective and when you change your color, the logo changes to reflect you. It is a ?Personal? Computer after all.
Grand Master

+Ryster Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

Seriously who are these mugs at the Windows Design team? They SUCK BIG TIME!

The previous colours look like effort was actually put into creating the logo, this however looks like very little work was committed!

Maybe it would look a bit better if it has multicoloured tiles...

The "Windows Design Team" had nothing to do with the logo. Read the article. It was designed by a third party agency. That said though, I hope they didn't pay them too much just to arrange 4 squares at a slight angle :)

Grand Master

Reacon

Posted
Posted

I maintain an open mind... but this is just way too monochrome. The multicoloured scheme subtly represented the versatility of Winders, and the flag sort of stated it was the flagship product. I agree with their idea to make the logo a "window" instead, but it really doesn't help much when you overwrite all of the defining visual elements of a household logo.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Ocenaudio 3.19.5

      By Copernic · Posted

      Ocenaudio 3.19.5 by Razvan Serea  Ocenaudio is a full featured, fast and easy to use audio and music editor. It is the ideal software for people who need to edit and analyze audio files without complications. Ocenaudio also has powerful features that will please more advanced users. To assist ocenaudio development, a powerful toolset of audio editing, analysis and manipulation called Ocen Framework was created. ocenaudio is also based on Qt framework, a well known library for cross-platform development. Cross-platform support ocenaudio is available for all major operating systems: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Native applications are generated for each platform from a common source, in order to achieve excelent performance and seamless integration with the operating system. All versions of ocenaudio have a uniform set of features and the same graphical interface, so the skills you learn in one platform can be used in the others. VST plugins support Ocenaudio supports VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plugins, giving its users access to numerous effects. Like the native effects, VST effects can use real-time preview to aide configuration. Real-time preview of effects Applying effects such as EQ, gain and filtering is an important part of audio editing. However, it is very tricky to get the desired result by adjusting the controls configuration alone: you must listen the processed audio. To ease the configuration of audio effects, ocenaudio has a real time preview feature: you hear the processed signal while adjusting the controls. The effect configuration window also includes a miniature view of the selected audio signal. You can navigate on this miniature view in the same way as you do on the main interface, selecting parts that interest you and listening to the effect result in real time. Multiselection for delicate editions To speed up complex audio files editing, ocenaudio includes multi-selection. With this amazing tool, you can simultaneously select different portions of an audio file and listen, edit or even apply an effect to them. For example, if you want to normalize only the excerpts of an interview where the interviewee is talking, just select them and apply the effect. Eficient edition of large files With ocenaudio, there is no limit to the length or the quantity of the audio files you can edit. Using an advanced memory management system, the application keeps your files open without wasting any of your computer's memory. Even in files several hours long, common editing operations such as copy, cut or paste happen almost instantly. Fully featured spectrogram Besides offering an incredible waveform view of your audio files, ocenaudio has a powerful and complete spectrogram view. In this view, you can analyze the spectral content of your audio signal with maximum clarity. Advanced users will be surprised to find that the spectrogram settings are applied in real time. The display is updated immediately when altering features such as the number of frequency bands, window type and size and dynamic range of the display. Ocenaudio 3.19.5 changelog: Fixes crashes related to audio devices on Windows (DirectSound and ASIO) Fixes several crashes and memory corruption issues Fixes opening several headerless files at once, which previously dropped all but one Improves batch export by suggesting and remembering the destination folder Fixes accented and non-Latin characters in VST plug-in and compressed-archive file names Adds zstd compression support and updates the archive library Other bug fixes and improvements Download: Ocenaudio 64-bit | Portable | ~40.0 MB (Freeware) Download: Ocenaudio for Linux and Mac OS View: Ocenaudio Homepage | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Limited Prime Day deal sees Amazon Echo Show 11 is at its lowest price yet

      By ad47uk · Posted

      I did think about a Echo show once and it would be useful to see what my cameras see. But my brother got one and I changed my mind. Adverts and not really worth the price just to see my cameras. I have a load of dots and a Echo Gen 4, they will do.
    • The Trump administration doesn't want you to use OpenAI's GPT-5.6 without its approval

      By ad47uk · Posted

      I asking where you are from or live, because if you don't live in the U.K, why are you so bothered? That is another reason I voted out, E.U and people poking their noses in where they should not be. Sadly we still have it, Trump, and his cronies. Putin as well and no doubt others. It makes no difference what we believe, if we made the right choice or not, we are out. As I said to someone when the news first broke we have voted out, we just need to make the best of it. I have no problems with closer ties to the E.U, we still need to trade. Just don't want to be in their club.
    • The Trump administration doesn't want you to use OpenAI's GPT-5.6 without its approval

      By ad47uk · Posted

      So you think I voted out because i am anti-immigrant. I am fed up with those that come over and think that we owe them something. The ones that are at the moment coming over from France where they are already in a safe country because they think and no doubt will get everything chucked at them. While people who were born and bred here get very little. I have nothing against as i have said before those that come here and work. In fact I know full well that our NHS would struggle without them. I do have a problem with those that come over here and try to push their religion and their way of life onto us. My reasons for voting out was because of what the E.U is and is also becoming. I did not agree with Freedom of movement, not because I don't want people over here, but because people need to be checked before being allowed to cross borders and that goes both ways. But my main thing was because the E.U is becoming if not already a united states of Europe. The only reason countries like Poland and Romania joined was because they had no money. When my partner left Poland, she had nothing, Poland had nothing, that is why she left. Wanted to learn something and earn a living. The E.U would have us back according to Michel Barnier. https://www.euronews.com/my-eu...ator-barnier-tells-euronews Why are you so scared to say what country you are in?
    • Windows 11 is getting redesigned taskbar settings in new build

      By thartist · Posted

      I wonder what that line really meant...

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Woland13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Woland13 earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      498
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      205
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      145
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      74
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      69
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!