Microsoft on Thursday unveiled a new corporate logo for the first time
in 25 years as the US tech giant geared up for a series of big product
launches.
The new logo features a square made up of four separate colored squares.
The
move comes with Microsoft ramping up the buzz for its Windows 8
operating platform and its first tablet computer, called Surface. The
company is also making an aggressive effort to gain ground in the
smartphone market.
"It's been 25 years since we've updated the
Microsoft logo and now is the perfect time for a change," said Microsoft
brand strategy manager Jeff Hansen.
"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.
"This wave of new releases is not
only a reimagining of our most popular products, but also represents a
new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate
this new beginning."
The logo also includes the name Microsoft in
the Segoe font that is used in products and marketing communications,
along with the new squares.
"The symbol is important in a world of
digital motion," Hansen said. "The symbol's squares of color are
intended to express the company's diverse portfolio of products."
The new logo is being used starting Thursday on the Microsoft.com website and in three Microsoft retail stores today.
"It will sign off all of our television ads globally," Hansen said.
"And it will support our products across various forms of marketing.... We're excited about the new logo, but more importantly about this new era in which we're reimagining how our products can help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential."
Microsoft
is set to release its Windows 8 next-generation operating system
tailored for a world shifting from personal computers to smartphones and
tablets on October 26.
Finnish telecom giant Nokia and Microsoft
are expected to unveil a smartphone equipped with the Windows Phone 8
operating system on September 5.
Posts
