Related Class
Logo design process helps Google refine identity
- Published on September 4, 2015
The logo design process that Google went through this week shows how an effective design process in creating a logo helps to produce successful results. As they created the fifth variation of their logo since they started in 1998, they had a significant undertaking. The Google logo and brand identity is reflective of a creative company that maintains a focus on creating a delightful experience for their users. The simplicity of their user interface for search, which is little more than a white page with a search phrase, needed to be carried into their logo design. In an era of modern, clean, and Swiss-influenced design, the old Google logo was a flashback to a different era, and was in need of updating.
The newly updated logo is the word Google in a sans-serif typeface. A sans-serif face is one such as Arial or Helvetica, compared to serif faces like those used in most books or newspapers, such Times. It provides a clean logo that is easy to read at any resolution, on any screen size, which is important for . Google is using a face they designed known as Product Sans.
Google also created a compact version of the logo. This uppercase G shares the Google color scheme of red, yellow, blue, and green, making it clear within apps or browser tabs that a Google product or page is being used.
Additionally, Google also considered that the branding is often used in various interactive elements, and thus they created a state in which the logo consolidates into four animated dots. These make it clear to a user that may be waiting on an action or for search results, yet they retain a consistent brand identity.
An added benefit of the new logo is that it is significantly smaller in file size, allowing it to load more quickly across a variety of devices regardless of network speed.
Those who aren’t involved in design and brand identity often assume that someone can take some Illustrator classes and will then have all the skills needed for creating a logo or building a brand identity. While learning the tools is important, a background in design, usability, and typography helps to create the best brand identities for modern companies such as Google.