Simplicity and harmony are key visual elements that reflect the seamless connectivity and intuitiveness of Office apps. We also used gestalt principles to further emphasize key product changes. Color differentiates apps and creates personality, and for the new icons we chose hues that are bolder, lighter and friendlier - a nod to how Office has evolved. Strong colors have always been at the core of the Office brand, and new icons are a chance to evolve our palette.

“From the get-go, we embraced Office’s rich history and used it to inform design decisions. Head of Microsoft Office design, Jon Friedman explained the thinking behind the redesigns: The redesigns implement Microsoft’s Fluent Design language which the company has incorporated into Windows 10 since last year. The apps that will be sporting redesigned icons include Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, OneNote, SharePoint, Teams, Yammer, and Skype. The design changes to the Office icons mark the first time in 5 years that Microsoft has updated the productivity suite logos.

Microsoft office logo