Microsoft’s new logo is its first major change in 25 years. This is their fifth logo since the company was founded 37 years ago.
At first I thought this was a joke but no folks, this IS real.
I don’t see this as a rebranding effort, although I think they do in their Microsoft way. This is just a visual to represent a change. By revamping its logo, Microsoft is trying to signal that it has changed its thinking and its products to cater to people who are interacting with technology much differently than 10 years ago.
The redesign features the Microsoft name in a lighter friendlier looking font called Segoe which is the default type in Windows 7, Windows Phone 7, Xbox (iirc), etc. The logotype connects the F and the T, something also done in the original 1975-1979 logo. It includes the familiar red, blue, yellow and green colors used in the flag on Microsoft’s Windows operating system, but the colors will be in a square box instead of the prior curved template. They say those color boxes invoke the tiles that will be central to Windows 8.
On the upside, the new logo is simple which is the top objective in any logo. It is simple, but it is NOT a sophisticated simplicity. It is recognizable and memorable but not necessarily in a positive way. It’s colors and font are friendlier but there is nothing distinctive about this logo and its having the Windows logo in it.