Google Teasing New 3D Android Logo

[T0@st]

Google's Android logo has been reworked in recent times—their classic green robot design was debuted in a new 3D form earlier this year at CES 2023. 9to5Google reckons that the redesign will be rolled out soon, along with a new typeface. These are allegedly set to replace the flat aesthetic from the company's 2019 branding refresh. The specialist news outlets points to Google first teasing the 3D "bugdroid" head in early January via its Keyword blog, and further examples have popped up at trade events and conferences since then.

According to 9to5Google the reworked brand identity is official, but Google was acting coy about an official launch window—details will be revealed at a later date. Industry insiders posit that Google's new design language will debut with the release of Android 14 (codenamed "Upside Down Cake"). The next-gen mobile OS is currently in Beta (version 3) and has reached platform stability.



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[Wye]

Google revamps their UIs every year, they are the most insecure company when it comes about design..

 

[trparky]

Google revamps their UIs every year, they are the most insecure company when it comes about design..

They're worse than Microsoft and Apple. At least with those two, the UI has only changed once or twice in the last few years.

 

[LabRat 891]

Google revamps their UIs every year, they are the most insecure company when it comes about design..

It's not 'insecurity', but that's a fun way to look at it (with a sufficient amount of derision)

They're worse than Microsoft and Apple. At least with those two, the UI has only changed once or twice in the last few years.

Previous to Win10, those changes only came once-a-major-release.


I've noticed over the years, that when 'industry-leaders' change their 'style', it seems like all marketing makes similar changes.
I first recall catching that around Windows Vista; working retail tech-sales, the trend continued with each major Windows release it seemed.

 

[bonehead123]

As if they don't have anything better to do, like, oh I don't know, maybe squashing all the bugs in their actual droid (the OS), or oh I know, their Tensor processors

 

[nageme]

They're worse than Microsoft and Apple. At least with those two, the UI has only changed once or twice in the last few years.

Microsoft did/does big changes almost every version: XP, Vista, 8, 10, 11. They just don't release a new version every year.

And the mobile crowd, on average, seems more excited/receptive to constant changes. Or even actively wants it.

Previous to Win10, those changes only came once-a-major-release.

Also since and including Win10, no?

it seems like all marketing makes similar changes.

Although I think logos are better flat (by default), I hope this is a start of a shaded trend that would leak into the OS as well. Then, if Microsoft follows, maybe Windows 12 would finally be a return to form.

As if they don't have anything better to do, like, oh I don't know, maybe squashing all the bugs

They can do both. Different departments.

 

[TechLurker]

I still think the mass redesign of icons and logos from pseudo-3D to flat 2D some years ago as a trend was pointless and wasted, and dumbed everything down too much.

That said, I wonder if the logo and icon changes are due again to increasingly powerful mobile systems? Previously, the logo and icon changes were due to memory constraints, and having a simpler, flatter logo made for faster loading.

 

[nageme]

Visual complexity doesn't really need more compute, nor memory. Definitely not when it's bitmaps, like in Android.

You could argue that if it were vector graphics, complexity might correlate with more compute or memory, but that's practically meaningless at least since the introduction of the modern touchscreen phones (and practically also before). Even if we assume it's more taxing, it would mostly be a one-time event (like during install) because the rendered result could be cached by the OS as bitmap.

Either way, even Android v2 phones managed just fine. Phone specs only improved since then.