The way people use their devices is changing, and Microsoft is adopting this with a new look for its Windows application framework.
Microsoft is in the midst of a redesign of its signature tools and icons that have reflected them for years, to correspond to an era when most people use multiple devices every day and are not locked onto a single system. exploitation. Microsoft unveiled the new set of application icons this week to help products stand out in ecosystems outside of Windows.
“Our experience ecosystems are incredibly complex and have started to spread out of Windows into third-party platforms like Android, iOS and Mac,” wrote Christina Koehn, chief design officer, Microsoft Windows and Devices, in a Medium article. “We are committed to making our icons familiar, beautiful and inclusive within the modern phenomena of multiplatform and multi-device experiences.”
Under CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has focused on optimizing its signature apps and tools for Android and iOS. Recent examples include the new Office mobile app and the extension of Xbox Live to smartphones.
In late 2018, Microsoft updated the icons of its Office signature applications: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. He mixed familiar logos with a 3D look and enlarged the letters to highlight the content created on these programs.
Microsoft has applied these principles to new Windows icons. Smooth edges, colored icons and 3D depth are common features of this redesign.
The new icons will arrive on devices via updates through the Microsoft Store. The first new icons, for Mail and Calendar, made their debut yesterday for Windows Insiders.