Google is reportedly changing the logo of its internet browser Chrome a bit for the first time since 2014.
Chrome designer Elvin Hu took to Twitter to share a first look at the logo’s redesign, and also shared bits on the process behind the changes being made.
In a long Twitter thread, Hu said the changes have been made based on the different operating systems Chrome appears on. “On ChromeOS, they use brighter colors without gradients to match the looks of the rest of system icons. On macOS, they look 3D. For Beta and Dev, we applied colorful ribbons to them,” he said.
The new Google Chrome logo started rolling out from February 4 and is currently available on Chrome Canary (the developer version of the browser). It will be rolled out for everyone else over the next few months.
“We simplified the main brand icon by removing the shadows, refining the proportions and brightening the colors, to align with Google's more modern brand expression,” said Elvin Hu.
The designer then explained why the change is so subtle.
“You might ask, “why bother with sth. so subtle?” We tailor Chrome’s experience to each OS, with features like Native Window Occlusion on Windows, day-one M1 support on macOS, Widgets on iOS/Android, and Material You on Android. We want our brand to convey the same level of care,” said Hu.
He then asked for feedback, which will help the team improve the product.