Google logo: Why do businesses change their typeface?
Google has altered its typeface. Cue much discussion about what subtle message the company is trying to convey.
After Google's biggest logo redesign since 1999, people have likened the typeface to that used in a children's book. Some suggest it is "infantilised" while others believe the hoo-hah will soon die down. A few have even expressed delight at the redesign.
"It's amazing what clipping off a few serifs can do," wrote Slate Magazine's web designer Derreck Johnson. "The letters have this flow to them, a rhythm and a balance," typography expert Brian Hoff told Fusion.
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| It's all change for this logo at Google's headquarters |
Serifs,
in layman's terms, are the "little tails" on letters in some typefaces.
Google's new logo, having last been updated in September 2013, has done
away with serifs in a bid to appear "simple, uncluttered, colourful and
friendly". It comes a month after it announced plans to create
Alphabet, a new parent company. Both will use the typeface Product Sans.
When
Google first rose to prominence, it was generally accessed from a
desktop computer. The challenge for the company now is to be easily
understood on a multitude of platforms, devices and apps which didn't
previously exist.
Google says the logo was "tested exhaustively" before being chosen. In an official blog post, it suggests it was looking to retain a "simple, friendly and approachable style". The new typeface is easily scalable.
A
glance at some of the oldest newspapers in the world reveals a strong
penchant for serifs. The Daily Mail, the Sydney Morning Herald and the
New York Times all use them, although the latter recently refreshed the
typeface of its magazine to reflect how times have changed since the
pullout was first printed in 1897.
"Google
is one of the world's most innovative companies, so the previous serif
wordmark was never really the right fit, particularly considering the
young age of the business. Serif typefaces are generally more suited to
traditional companies with a lot of history and heritage. It makes sense
for Google to be identified by a more contemporary mark."
The
cost of implementing the physical change at its offices is likely to be
quite small although the company has already updated the logo outside
its headquarters in California.
Google is hoping this update will
stand the test of time. For those interested in those redesigns which
haven't endured, there's a place you can search for that.
Courtesy: BBC
