new google chrome icon reveals flatter look and finer proportions

the new google chrome icon features subtle design variations

over the years, google chrome’s logo has been taking on new and progressively subtler variations while maintaining its essential features: the circular shape elevated by five distinct colors (yellow, green, red, blue, white). now, for the first time since 2014, the brand has launched its latest icon look with even subtler tweaks that can be hard to spot at first glance.

in a recent twitter thread, chrome designer elvin hu shares the logic behind the revamp and what design adaptations users can expect across different platforms and software.

new google chrome icon | all images by elvin hu via twitter

a simplified look that adapts to different UI languages

according to hu, chrome simplified its main logo design to ‘align with google’s more modern brand expression.’ indeed, by lifting off the shadows, using brighter tones, and fine-tuning its proportitions, the new icon appears almost completely flat but crispier than its previous versions.

additionally, chrome injected very subtle gradients to avoid ‘an unpleasant color vibration’ once the shadows were removed. this indiscernable touch makes the final icon look visually ‘more accessible’.

since 2011, the chrome logo revealed gradually subtler variations

once these changes were made, the company began customizing the new icon to fit different platforms’ UI language. the macOS version will take on a 3D look by shading its borders. in contrast, the chromeOS icon will look brighter and flatter, and the windows 10 and 11 model will depict stronger color gradients. the team also released new tweaks for the beta and developer versions by adding ‘colorful ribbons to them.’

yet, the most drastic changes were reserved for the iOS beta app icon, revealing a ‘blueprint-like design, as a nod to apple’s developer-focused apps’.

the new icon presents flatter and brighter colors, with extremely subtle gradients

expect to see the new icon rolled out in the next few months

concluding his thread, elvin hu states that the company did test other design directions, like introducing white lines as negative spaces between each color segment. this approach, however, seemed to shrink the icon in size and potentially made it harder to recognize.

the new google chrome icon is already visible for users with the developer version installed (chrome canary). as for everyone else, they can expect to see the latest design rolled out on their desktops and phones over the next few months.

a blueprint-like design will appear as the iOS beta app