3 Reasons why Google’s new logo is EXQUISITE
Where other companies have books and manuals for their code of conduct, Google has three words: “don’t be evil.” This outlook summarises how much Google is about simplicity over complexity, and how they have approached search and innovation technologies. Today, this is finally shown clearly on the new logo.
“Beautiful is better than ugly; simple is better than complex; sparse is better than dense; readability counts; practicality beats purity; refuse the temptation to guess.” -Tim Peters in “Zen of Python”
How is Google’s new logo such an improvement on the last? The whole change is grounded upon a change in font. In marketing, we call this “typography.” Fonts are almost invisible to most people, but in reality they play a huge part in brand recognition and familiarity. How many of the following fonts do you recognise?
Typography
Google’s new font has a few critical features. Firstly, there is a change from a traditional serif font to a modern sans-serif. All this means is that the little ticks and marks at the end of each stroke has been removed. This is a massive change (as dramatic as you can get in the world of fonts). What this means is that the new font is not only relevant to modern typography and graphics design, but is more distinguishing and attracts more attention.
Another important change is stress and stroke width. Where the last font had variations width, the new one is based on a uniform width design. This also allows for simplification and makes the letters pop out. Instead of sleek and stylish, the new stroke is clean and bold. This shows how Google is moving away from distinguishing itself as a unique and novel company- instead establishing itself as the standard. The fact that “to google” is an officially recognised word meaning to undertake an online search reinforces this branding decision.
Data Compression
Apart from branding, another major motivation behind the new Google logo is data compression. As more and more users move to mobile devices, Google realises that it is not enough to look good on a desktop monitor, it has to design a logo which is adaptable to multiple screen sizes: from the billboard to the smallest smart phone. The simpler sans-serif font is not only more elegant, it also scales better between sizes- making the font readible and easily distinguished no matter the size.
A hidden feature the font has, however, is file size. While the existing logo is already capable of becoming extremely small (14kb, or 14,000 bytes), the new one can compress up to 305 bytes. At 2% of the original file size, it means if you are a particularly determined fan, you can download the Google Logo 3,278 times without going over even 1MB of data. Not only does this make the modern consumer’s life just a little more convenient, it is also aligned with Google’s plans to expand to more technologically impaired regions with lower bandwidth connections.
For my friends in Australia, it seems Tony Abbott was right. Maybe you don’t need fiber-to-the-premises high-speed connections. (/sarcasm)
Resonance
The final benefit of Google’s new logo is that it resonates with customers. Typographically Google’s logo improves readability, legibility, and recognition. In file size, Google’s new logo saves them bandwidth space. Within resonance, Google’s new logo is created in such a way to reflect consumer views. It is crafted to reflect modernization and simplification. Google is ubiquitous and easy to understand. By crafting a logo which reflects what consumers already think about Google, they are increasing brand resonance, which increases how often customers think of them when solving problems.
For more on the history of Google, and how they evolved, take a look at the video below: