On a continued effort to modernize its software products using the Fluent Design language, Microsoft is now revealing a new tweaked design of the Windows 10 logo alongside new icons for a long list of apps.
Although the company has been redesigning the icons for many of its products for quite some time — as we’ve seen with the Office icons and online services –, Microsoft is now introducing more than 100 icons with new colors, materials, and finishes for products across the company.
“With the newest wave of icon redesigns, we faced two major creative challenges. We needed to signal innovation and change while maintaining familiarity for customers. We also had to develop a flexible and open design system to span a range of contexts while still being true to Microsoft” — Microsoft corporate vice president of design and research Jon Friedman explains. “The newest design guidelines helped us unify icon construction across the company and within each product family.”
The new icons are not a significant departure of the legacy designs, as the company wanted to keep the styles familiar to what users already understand, and it didn’t want to ask them to develop to learn something new, but they include changes that help to modernize the look of icons across the operating system and bring consistency, which it’s been a problem since the original release of Windows 10.
Jon Friedman also said: “We conducted countless rounds of research for every icon. From mild to wild, we explored a multitude of design directions and listened to customers around the world. We learned what didn’t resonate with people (flat design and muted colors) and what did (depth, gradations, vibrant colors, and motion), all of which drove our decisions.”
Along with the new icons, you’ll find the new logo for Windows 10 design, which is similar to legacy design, but it incorporates different shades of blue and subtle depth for each rectangle.
Microsoft has been pushing new icons gradually, as such there’s not an exact date when you’ll see these new designs on Windows 10, but it’s expected that will happen throughout 2020.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.