Why you should stop moaning and learn to love the new Google logo

New logo
New logo

We'd never claim that we were experts on design at techradar towers, so when it came to Google's big brand rethink we decided to ask our friends and design gurus over at Creative Bloq to see what all the fuss was about.

Dan Oliver, Editor-in-chief at CB, Computer Arts, ImagineFX, 3D World, net, and the Generate events series explains,"There are two universal laws about any change in a brand identity, especially a logotype. The majority will hate it, and the majority will complain about how much money it cost to produce.

"These are stupid reactions, and once you get past them there's a lot to take in. What I find fascinating about Google's new identity is that it's been driven by both necessity and circumstance, and couldn't be more timely.

The new logo

"On one hand you have the recent restructure, which placed Google as a subsidiary of Alphabet, and on the other you have the fact that it just doesn't work anymore.

"The Google logotype was never an example of great design, but you can apply this to a number of global brands, and any changes over the years had been subtle. But when the logotype stops working on smaller screens - that fiddly 'ear' on the 'g', those intricate serifs, and that monstrous uppercase 'G' - then it's time for a change.

Google - changing things up

"And what Google has created isn't just a new logotype, but a new visual brand identity that (by the looks of it) will seamlessly works across all of its products, irrespective of device.

"Google has definitely played up the 'playful' nature of its new branding, and I don't think the criticism of it looking childish, or like something out of "an Ikea playpen" will bother Google one jot.

"In fact, I think this will have everyone at Google giving themselves a big pat on the back. Playful, inoffensive, childlike, vibrant, colourful; these all sound like adjectives that a company that controls more personal data than any other on the planet would be happy to align itself with."

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Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.

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