The Chrome icon is famously iconic by itself. Over the years, Google has only slightly tweaked it and left its appearance as untouched since 2014. Soon, the Chrome icon will have a new face.
Google started rolling out small changes by optimizing icons for different operating systems such as macOS and Windows. If traced, the last significant change Google made to the Chrome icon was in 2011, when the logo that originally looked 3D was made flat.
Well, in this 2022 change, Google removed the shadows on the red, yellow, and green outer circles. There's also a slight gradient to the main icon due to the transition from green to red.
Chrome Icon
Adapted to the Operating System
At first glance, maybe the icon changes don't look any different. However, if observed, as quoted from iPhone Hacks, the proportion of the Chrome icon itself is removed, and the color is slightly brighter. The most significant change is that Google has now made OS-specific tweaks.
The designer behind the icon, Elvin, took to his Twitter account to explain that they want their brand to convey the same level of care that OS developers do.
Some of you might have noticed a new icon in Chrome's Canary update today. Yes! we're refreshing Chrome's brand icons for the first time in 8 years. The new icons will start to appear across your devices soon. pic.twitter.com/aaaRRzFLI1
ā Elvin (@elvin_not_11) February 4, 2022
The Chrome icon on macOS has a colorful ribbon for the Beta and Dev versions, while the icon looks three-dimensional overall. Non-stable versions on iOS get an icon reminiscent of TestFlight and display the Beta or Dev badge in the top left corner. S
Whereas in Windows 10 and 11, the icons have a visible gradient. On ChromeOS, the icons for the browser use a brighter, gradient-free color to match the rest of the system icons.
This new display icon was launched at the same time as the Chrome Canary update. You will see changes to the device in the next few months.
What do you think about the new Google Chrome icon design? Please share your opinion in the comments column.