Microsoft now Redesigned it's windows 8 logo...................

History of Microsoft's Windows OS Logos

Windows 8 is a complete reimagination of the Windows operating system. Nothing has been left unexplored, including the Windows logo, to evaluate how it held up to modern PC sensibilities. The Windows logo is a strong and widely recognized mark. Windows 8 marks the next step in the evolution of the Metro design style. Through the bold use of color, typography and motion, Metro design style brings a freshnew approach to user experience.

In some ways we can trace the evolution of the Windows logo in parallel with the advancements of the technology used to create logos. From the simple two color version in Windows 1.0 to the intricate and detailed renderings in Windows Vista and Windows 7, each change makes sense in the context in which it was created. As computing capabilities increased, so did the use of that horse power to render more colors, better fonts, and more detailed and life-like 3D visual effects like depth, shadows, and materiality. But if we look back to the origins of the logo we can see that it really was meant to be a window. "Windows" really is a beautiful metaphor for computing and with the new logo we wanted to celebrate the idea of a window, in perspective. Microsoft and Windows are all about putting technology in people's hands to empower them to find their own perspectives. And that is what the new logo was meant to be. A re-design and more to return it to its original meaning and bringing Windows back to its roots – re imagining the Windows logo as just that – a window.

Let’s look back at a few of the versions along the way.

Windows 1.0

Few remember the original Windows logo, yet we found it both refreshing and inspiring in relation to the work we have been doing on the Metro style design visuals. Using simple lines and clear straight forward concept, this logo reminded us of what a great and evocative name we have with “windows”.

Windows 3.1

For many of us this was the image in our mind when we think of past Windows logos. The now classic window shape and the introduction of the four colors were hallmarks of the Windows brand for many years to come. The introduction of the “waving effect” gives the logo a sense of motion. This logo would be the basis of the Windows versions throughout the 1990s.

Windows XP

The next major incarnation of the logo came with the release of Windows XP. What has come to be known as the “Windows flag” is a cleaner more sophisticated mark than its predecessors. The version that populated the lower left hand corner of Windows PCs next to the word “Start” also gained a sense of materiality and a 3D effect from the rich gradients and shadows.

Windows Vista

The Windows Vista release marked the beginning of the AERO design aesthetic in Windows with a key component of the interface being the “AERO glass” effect. Replacing the green Start button was the round glass-like button with a now flattened version of the “flag” from Windows XP. Internally, this icon became known as the “pearl”. You can see the intricate lighting effects of the faux glass. In many ways signaling just how powerful of a rendering engine the PC had become. This version of the logo was largely unchanged for Windows 7.

Windows 8 

We've been seeing screenshots of Windows 8, for some time now, but never had the official logo to identify it with.The logo is reminiscent of the Windows 1.0 logo, which had similar styling elements. The new logo will have a flat look, which also represents the Live Tiles in WP7. The multi-coloured window panes are now a thing of the past, now the window panes have solid colours for the logo. Microsoft's goal before creating this logo is that,the new logo to be both modern and classic by echoing the International Typographic Style (or Swiss design) that has been a great influence on their Metro style design philosophy. Using bold flat colors and clean lines and shapes, the new logo has the characteristics of way-finding design systems seen in airports and subways, the new logo carries our Metro principle of being “Authentically Digital”. It has motion – aligning with the fast and fluid style we’ll find throughout Windows 8.