Elly Yates-Roberts |
Microsoft is redesigning its Office app icons. According to an article by Jon Friedman, head of Microsoft Office Design, the transformation reflects the new world of work, whilst mirroring the simplicity and collaboration offered by the Office suite.
The new designs incorporate the strong colours that have always been part of the Office brand, but with new hues that Microsoft describes as being “bolder, lighter and friendlier — a nod to how Office has evolved,” said Friedman.
Microsoft also wanted to be inclusive of the five generations that currently make up today’s workforce. “We wanted a visual language that emotionally resonates across generations, works across platforms and devices, and echoes the kinetic nature of productivity today,” said Friedman.
“We all know modern life is faster and more connected: we’re living in it,” Friedman added. “Office supports this by making it fast and easy to express ideas, collaborate with others, and stay focused and in the flow. It’s why Office apps compose together, enabling users to open PowerPoint or Excel beside conversations in Teams or Outlook.”
According to Friedman, Microsoft aimed to reflect the openness of the new Office by removing the boundaries from the icons. “Whereas prior Office icons had a document outline for Microsoft Word and a spreadsheet outline for Excel, we now show lines of text for Word and individual cells for Excel,” said Friedman. “By focusing on the content rather than any specific format, these icons embody the collaborative nature of the apps they represent.”