Microsoft is revamping the design of Office and it has just made some major changes to the iconography. The reason why Microsoft is doing this is because it wants to implement the Fluent Design language and make it more recognizable with the use of these new icons. It’s been a long time since the Office icons have seen any changes and fortunately, Microsoft has not forgotten about them.
Microsoft’s Head of Design Speaks Out
“From the get-go, we embraced Office’s rich history and used it to inform design decisions. Strong colors have always been at the core of the Office brand, and new icons are a chance to evolve our palette. Color differentiates apps and creates personality, and for the new icons we chose hues that are bolder, lighter and friendlier — a nod to how Office has evolved” said Jon Friedman who is the head of design for Office.
Major Design Changes
One of the biggest changes that Office users are going to notice right away is that the letters and symbols have been decoupled. Take for example the “X” letter that stands for Excel. The icon now has a green box where it shows us spreadsheet cells as their own elements and this can be seen in the featured picture.
Enhancing Symbols
“Similarly, we’ve changed the letter-to-symbol ratio. Traditionally, the letter occupied two-thirds of the icon, and the symbol took up one-third. We’ve changed this ratio to now emphasize the symbol because while the letter represents the tool itself, the symbol speaks more to people’s creations,” added Jon Friedman.
Conclusion
While these design changes to the icons might be a little challenging to get used to right now, Office users will stop noticing them after a couple of weeks. Nonetheless, the new design looks amazing and it’s a step in the right direction from Microsoft.
