Microsoft Uses New Logo for First Time in 25 Years

By JOANNA STERN (@joannastern)

Aug. 23, 2012

Microsoft has spent the summer making announcements that represent a break from tradition, especially in terms of software design. (See Office 2013, Windows Phone 8, Outlook.com, Bing, and the Windows 8 Surface tablets.) Today the company is moving even farther away from the old Microsoft with a brand new company logo.

According to the company's blog, it has been 25 years since the logo has been changed.

"This is an incredibly exciting year for Microsoft as we prepare to release new versions of nearly all of our products. From Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs," Microsoft's General Manager of Brand Strategy, Jeff Hansen, said in the post.

Gone is the wavy Windows logo and italicized font. Now there's a square, made up of smaller colored squares, like a Rubik's Cube of sorts. The square will find its way into other Microsoft brand logos, including Microsoft Office.

Microsoft has begun to use boxes or tiles across its product line, including its Windows Phone and Windows 8 operating systems. The clean design was once referred to by Microsoft as its Metro UI. Earlier this month Microsoft began referring to the design as its "Modern UI design."

Microsoft will release its Windows 8 operating system for tablets, laptops, and desktops on Oct. 26. The new version of its webmail, Outlook.com, was released late last month. The next version of its Windows Phone 8 operating systemis expected to debut this fall as well.