Today Microsoft Announced the new logo for Windows 8. Dropping the iconic rainbow-flag is a bold step for them, and I think it’s an improvement. However, there are a few reasons I think the new logo falls short:

  • Microsoft should drop the “8” from the logo. Tacking on the version number detracts from the Windows brand itself. I understand it’s there to help consumers identify the product their looking for, but does it need to be part of the actual logo? I doubt it.
  • Along the same lines, why include the (TM) and (R) symbols? They do nothing but add visual clutter and become unrecognizable blobs at small sizes. Are those marks even necessary? Probably not. I can’t find a single (TM) or (R) on Apple’s website.
  • Segoe is a bad choice of typeface for this logo. Microsoft wanted the new logo to echo the “Swiss design” philosophy behind Metro itself, as well as feel “fluid.” With it’s varying stroke width and uncomfortably harsh corners, Segoe accomplishes neither of these. Its humanist characteristics also clash with the geometric & fluid feel of the four boxes.

You can read more about the new Window logo on Brand New.

3 Notes/ Hide

  1. moocha said: Wow, insightful critique. I couldn’t agree more.
  2. kylefox posted this