Hey Google: Are you finished or is this just an exercise?

Hey Google: Are you finished or is this just an exercise?

Fabian
AfFabian
november 05, 2020
Hey Google Ffw agency

G-Suite becomes Google Workspace - and all related apps have a new icon. Instead of storms of enthusiasm, the outcome for Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Meet trigger massive criticism. Users are vexed, but make no motions to suggest any improvements. Cellular ventures to make a counter-proposal.

The new Google Workspace takes the form an expanded version of the earlier G-Suite. By doing so, the tech corporation has significantly expanded its offering. The fact that the individual services are more closely intertwined also needs to be reflected in the design of the app icons. Hereby, Google is leaving the comfort zone of its own established material design – we all have images in our minds of the Google Mail icon in its lovingly folded origami design. Many of the different services no longer stand out from one another based on colors, but rely purely on the silhouette. However, this similarity seems to work too well for some users, since hardly any service stands out from the crowd.

 

Google Original (above) vs. Cellular Designs

Google Original (above) vs. Cellular Designs

Challenge Accepted

From the point of view of the Google brand, bringing the individual products together under one visual umbrella appears to be crucial. We share this opinion. Several ways exist to achieve this aim. If we let ourselves be guided by Microsoft Fluent or the services of Adobe, for example, a much larger color palette would have delivered the desired result.

However, we don't want to make things easy for ourselves and so continue to pursue Google's approach of focusing on the primary colors of the brand. If you look at the shape of the new icons, the question quickly arises as to how much abstraction is really needed and when the pain threshold is exceeded.

So what makes for a good app icon? Conciseness, differentiation from the competition and, last but not least, recognition. If you compare the app icons to services like Spotify that only have a single product, it is fair to say that it is not easy. What should we give the most weight to?

 

Design grid: different iterations of the Google Drive icon

Design grid: different iterations of the Google Drive icon

Our Suggestion

In the case of Google, we are talking about a company that offers a wide range of services and where cohesion is clearly at the forefront. The individuality of the app icon therefore becomes less important. Nevertheless, every single icon should still convey the benefits behind the respective service. Google did not succeed in doing this well. We would therefore like to suggest the following improvements:

  • In keeping with the original design, we would choose a lower level of abstraction so that the meaning and purpose of the application is visualized.
  • To also make the different apps more distinguishable, we would continue to rely on a single primary color and its secondary counterpart.
  • Within the frame of the visual bracket, each service would therefore be furnished with an outline using the three remaining primary colors.
  • This would create a uniform brand experience without drifting into a visually redundant rainbow. We would nevertheless still emphasize the diversity of the individual apps.

Google icons

Copyright Cellular: This is what the other Google icons could look like

So what next Google?

So far, Google has not been particularly consistent - remaining services either retain their old logo or have hardly been adapted in any noticeable form. We eagerly await to see whether all the icons will really be converted into the new look or whether a return to the old look will take place.

We found it an exciting experiment that certainly needs some fine-tuning, but nevertheless provides a glimpse of what could have been possible.