The Chrome icon has become an iconic symbol by itself. Google has tweaked it slightly over the years but left it untouched since 2014. The company has started rolling out a minor change, optimizing the icon for various operating systems such as macOS and Windows.
Google’s last significant change to the Chrome icon was in 2011, when it flattened the 3D logo. The change in 2022 has removed the shadows in the outer ring of red, yellow, and green colors, creating a flat icon. The company also has a slight gradient to the main icon because the transition from green to red was jarring — “unpleasant color vibration” in design speak.
Tailored to Operating Systems
The proportions of the Chrome icon have been refined, and the colors have been brightened a tad bit. The most significant change is that Google has now made OS-specific tweaks. The designer behind the icon, Elvin, took to Twitter to explain that “we wanted our brand to convey the same level of care” as OS developers take in their offerings.
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
— Elvin 🌈 (@elvin_not_11) February 4, 2022
The Chrome icon on macOS has colorful ribbons for the Beta and Dev builds, while the icon looks three-dimensional overall. The non-stable versions on iOS get an icon that is reminiscent of TestFlight and carry a Beta or Dev badge in the top left-hand side corner. Meanwhile, on Windows 10 and 11, the icon has a visible gradient. On ChromeOS, the icon for the browser uses brighter, gradient-free colors to match the rest of the system icons.
The updated icon is rolling out with Chrome Canary’s latest update. You should see the change on your device in the next few months. What do you think of Google Chrome’s icon design journey over the years? Please share your opinions with us in the comments.
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