The Google Chrome logo is getting easier and brighter, the first change in 8 years

The Google Chrome logo is getting easier and brighter, the first change in 8 years

For the first time in eight years, Google is changing the logo of its Chrome browser, taking on a simpler form that aims to better match Google's current brand, a company designer said Friday. But you may not even notice.

The new browser logo comes in different variants for iPhones, Macs, Windows and Chromebooks.

It has the same general scheme as the circular, four-color basic design that first came with Chrome in 2009 and which Google flattened in the 2011 optimization. But subtle changes are now on the way to your screens. The new logo has bright colors, a large blue circle in the middle and no more shadows. Icon rewamps can be controversial, such as in 2016 when Uber dropped its U logo and Instagram abandoned its skeuomorphic camera and adopted a stylized 2D icon. As well as annoying users, it can make it difficult to find apps on your phone's home screen until you learn a new look. The slightest change to Chrome, though, may not be confusing. 

The company has begun shipping its Canary test version of Chrome, but it will be rolled out in developer, beta and mainstream releases in the coming weeks. With the overwhelming dominance of Chrome, which accounts for 63% of web usage, according to analytics firm StatCounter, it is highly discouraging for Google to make major changes.

 Google is further adapting to various variants designed for home viewing on Windows, Mac OS and iOS. "We want icons to feel recognizable to Chrome, but well-designed for every OS," Chrome designer Elon Ho said in a tweet. For example, on Windows 10 and Windows 11, icon colors graduate, deepening downwards. The colors are brighter on Chrome OS. 

And the icon gets a thin disk-like 3D shape on Mac OS. Less noticeable is that the green color changes slightly from left to right. Ho said that this is to avoid a serious "vibration" which may occur when the bright green leaves the red at the top.