Microsoft

New:  Logo

Launched:  August 23, 2012

Story in brief:
"Now is the perfect time for a change" wrote Jeff Hansen, Brand Strategy manager, announcing Microsoft's first logo change in 25 years, "as we prepare to release new versions of nearly all our products." 

My first guess was that CEO Steve Ballmer had grown envious of that Apple symbol hanging in splendor over retail spaces, and shining from product covers. "I want that," he may have said.  And indeed, in the launch event photo (in which CMO Chris Caposella cuts a store ribbon) we see the new symbol used alone on the wall, in apple-like glory.

Now, it's pretty clear the idea came from Brian Collins' 2009 brand concept design for Microsoft stores, which featured a three-toned version of a square four-color symbol plus grey type, in Microsoft's Segoe font.  Uncredited Microsoft designers dropped the three tones and, for the corporate-mark lockup, readjusted the symbol/wordmark size relationship.

Microsoft Store concept, by Collins:

Credits:
C.E.O. - Steve Ballmer
C.M.O.  Chris Capossela, Chief Marketing Officer
C.B.O. - Jeff Hansen, General Manager, Brand Strategy
Identity design - Credits withheld. See below.

First Impressions:
Strategy:  After 25 years it's time for change; no further story needed. But in a small way this change can increase interest in the new launches and in a bigger way, if design execution carries through to merchandising and packaging, it can support their seamless integration. The stronger identification of the institutional brand with Windows,  its core heritage product, leverages both current equities. And now, the corporate and retail brands are unified.
Design:  It's as classic as they come -- hard-edged, flat-color symbol plus straight-type wordmark.  No highlights, no shadows;  static. Boring to some perhaps, but to me it's confident and more coherent. Good work, somebody.

 

Design credits are not forthcoming as yet.  Spokesperson: "I connected with my colleagues and they would like to tell you that Microsoft worked with some of its external design agencies on the new logo, but actually did much of the design work internally. Please visit the Official Microsoft Blog for more information as that is all we are sharing at this point in time." 

You probably know how I feel about this policy. I'll say it again anyway. Denial of credit demeans the design profession as well as the designers who did this work, staff and counsel alike.  I hope it will be re-thought. 
 

Other Comments:
This new identifier more or less covers their character: 
massive, predictable, unoriginal and boring.  Roger van den Bergh

This was an opportunity for Microsoft to reassert its relevance in a mobile world. Instead they decided to go back to the future with an identity that would have looked at home in your best programs of 2005. William Agush

I find it interesting the the Apple font Myriad Pro and the Microsoft font Segoe are similar as well. As far as I can tell Apple started using Myriad Pro in 2002 and in 2004 Microsoft tried to register Segoe.  Steve Boris