Microsoft Shows Off New Office Icons

Familiar. Simpler. Stylish. Microsoft has just redesigned Office icons, and while the changes may be cosmetic, the design signify a move to the cloud and show how the company is changing.

Up until now, Microsoft Office icons on both Windows and the web have been conservative.

But the suite of productivity applications is seeing a shift — the company is adding new AI features, more collaborative capabilities and platform independence for key applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

So, it only stands to reason that this fresh new looks goes official for this new generation of applications.

And the company has done just that.

Microsoft Design showed off these redesigned app icons in a post on Medium, revealing that these new icons will reach the apps and web in the coming months. The company says that these new designs are a reflection of how much Office has changed in the 5 years since the icons last received a makeover.

Redmond also put together this video to illustrate:

Basically, instead of the neat outlines of the previous design, each icon has been given a distinctive shape that indicates its specific role. The letters themselves have gotten smaller, as the company has played up the imagery that depicts what you can accomplish using the apps.

Skype and OneDrive also received new looks, as you can see in the images above. But both services maintain their unique look in a more modern fashion.

Overall, a fresh new style for these important Microsoft products and services.

What do you think?