The new logo retains the rainbow of colors but sheds the grownup curlicues: it now evokes children’s refrigerator magnets, McDonald’s French fries, Comic Sans. Google took something we trusted and filed off its dignity. Now, in its place, we have an insipid “G,” an owl-eyed “oo,” a schoolroom “g,” a ho-hum “l,” and a demented, showboating “e.” I don’t want to think about that “e” ever again. But what choice do I have? Google—beneficent overlord, Big Brother, whatever you want to call it—is at the center of our lives. Now it has symbolically diluted our trust, which it originally had for all the right reasons.
I don't usually comment publicly on typefaces for brands, but the new Google logo struck me as a particularly unfortunate piece of design, not least because of the claims of functionality-driven design, so my apologies in advance to any friends and colleagues who were involved in this.
"They've chosen to emphasize every circle they could find, which is an effective way to create a friendly and approachable impression. But that makes the ‘l' stand out a bit awkwardly, being the only entirely straight shape. Being the only green letter doesn't help either, so it's tempting to parse this as 'Googe.' But they did well to retain this distinctive sequence of colors — they were the only way I could 'glance' this as being Google. I don't think this redesign speaks to any larger trend, because clean simplicity will always succeed, even if it doesn't excite. But I really hope this ‘e' does not become a thing."— Tobias Frere-Jones, type designer at Frere-Jones Type
"I would change the name to Goo. It's immediately recognizable and fits the technical criteria of taking up less space and reducing the bandwidth needed. Also: subhead: Goo / Holds the World together." — Milton Glaser, graphic designer
"Seeing the Google animation for the first time, I felt I was looking at a Paul Rand logo. The alternating primary colors, the name turning into a G and the playful pulsating dots, each by themselves recalled his Modern play principal. I don't know how long it will be until the animation gets tiresome, but it is a pleasure to watch it going through its cycle now." — Steve Heller, art director and journalist.