Google Changes Chrome Logo After Eight Years, Not Many Significant Changes Happened
JAKARTA - Google changed its Chrome logo earlier this year, for the first time since 2014. The new Chrome logo has some subtle differences from the previous one, thanks to less shadows, slightly different proportions, and brighter colors.
Most Chrome users may not be aware of its introduction in Chrome 100, but Google has been experimenting with a much more radical design to no avail.
Some of the more striking proposals include a completely different shape for the Chrome logo or separating the colors with a white border.
“In the exploration phase, we tried all kinds of ideas; soften the corners, different geometries, separate colors with white or not,” explains Thomas Messenger, visual designer at Google, as quoted by The Verge. "We're also trying options that go further than the overall form we've been using for the last 12 years."
One idea would be to see the Chrome logo move to a more burnt orange look, which would look more suitable for Mozilla's Firefox browser. In the end, Google played it safe with a subtle redesign that retained the four recognizable colors of the Chrome logo.
"We knew how well Google's four colors and circular compositions recognized, so we decided not to deviate too much from that," Messenger added.
Google did test different colors, gradients, and proportion changes in different contexts and ended up making OS-specific adjustments. On Windows 10 and Windows 11, Chrome icons have more gradients, while lighter colors are visible on icons in Chrome OS without gradients.
Google is even using a more 3D display in macOS to match Apple's other operating systems.
If you're wondering if the Chrome icon from 2014 will reappear, Google hasn't ruled it out. “Never say never,” says Elvin Hu, user experience interaction designer at Google.
“We have investigated the custom app icon, and found that each platform has a different level of support for it. Maybe one day we'll bring it back as an option on platforms that support it."