Microsoft’s new logo debuts after 25 years, hopes it was worth the wait
25 years. That’s how old the Microsoft logo is — the bold, italicized logo that we’ve all come to love, loathe and show indifference to in equal measure. Microsoft introduced it in 1987, and now, a quarter of a century later, has decided the time is right for a change.
It’s an important year for Microsoft, with the impending launch of Windows 8, the November release of Windows Phone 8, and next year’s Office 2013 and Xbox 360 successor in the pipeline. Their new logo is an attempt to characterize the extreme changes all of these products are undergoing as Microsoft seeks to revitalise and reenergize their brand in the face of stiff competition from other tech giants (we’re looking at you, Google and Apple).
A clean typeface — Segoe, for the fontophiles amongst you — and a logo that nods to the Metro user interface employed in Windows 8, Phone 8, and the 360 Dashboard has given Microsoft a modern look, an image they are clearly eager to proliferate. Criticisms of the logo as a tad dull aren’t entirely unfounded, however.
Will it last for another 25 years? Only time will tell, but for the moment, here’s to a thoroughly modern Microsoft.
Which Microsoft logo is your favorite? Take our poll below.
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