Microsoft Office Design Group (ODG) have recently released information on the new look of Office 2010. 'The logo has evolved, moving from the original four colors that signified Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook to a mark that fully embraces the Office orange brand. The logo also completes the evolution from the puzzle pieces last seen in Office XP to a mark that conveys energy, impact, and connection'.
Before & AfterThe refreshed logo overall is an improvement on the old and does look somewhat ... OK. The yellow to orange gradient is nice, the typography remains uninspired and the counter space of the logo is well considered. If they had stopped there, the update would have passed without much harm. But then we come to the application icons…
Anyone who works on a Mac will know that the icons for Office 2008 are quite nice, stylish and in keeping with the overall Apple feel and experience. Something which is not usually seen from Microsoft. For those on a PC working with Office 2004, the icons concentrate more on the tasks each program offers, rather than the aesthetics of the icon. Unfortunately, this is the route Microsoft have taken with the Office 2010 icons.
Office 2008 Mac Icons
Office 2004 PC Icons
Office 2010 PC & Mac Icons
'The new icon designs respond to research that informs us that users can more easily associate icons by letter and color than by abstract design. We’ve adopted an alphabet system to bring a more uniform approach to the wide variety of Office family products.' - Microsoft
The new icons are ugly, inconsistent and confusing. And worse of all ... they're for both PC and Mac. It would have been bolder and more impressive if Microsoft would have improved on the simplistic design of the Office 2008 Mac icons, alter their colour, their form and given us icons that were modern, iconic and something that Microsoft could be proud of. Unfortunately there's just nothing to be proud of here, sorry.
