Chapter 3: Case Study - Rebranding Gmail

Chapter 3

Case Study ~ Rebranding Gmail

Fig. 9. Google Workspace’s updated icons, including Gmail (2020)

On October 6th, 2020, Google introduced the redesigned logo for Gmail alongside Google’s G Suite software which has been rebranded to Google Workspace (see Figure 9). The new set includes logos for the apps Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Meet, and Sheets. Just within a couple of days from its launch, it has received many reviews. As Google is a brand that takes their creative logo designs to the next level with the celebration of different events which takes upon the diverse calendar in many respects— culturally, thematically, geographically, et cetera (Artnet News, 2019), changing their logo designs is a significant step for their brand as the public has high expectations. This case study will highlight the changes Google has made and how it impacts the overall brand.

Fig. 10.– Gmail Logo (2020)

The new logo presents a more curved and bolder ‘M’ split into four different colours to represent the four different segments which form the letter (see Figure 10). The designer has revamped the logo by removing the envelope icon, which made the old logo recognisable. The aim of this was so that the logo itself would be clean and minimalistic and so the decorative elements had to be stripped away in order for the design to only consist a single bold symbol (Piper. D, 2020).

The brand update was encouraged by the transformation of circumstances in the workplace at Google since it is no longer a priority to attend work physically and instead of making employees turn their homes into workspaces and attending digitally (Wong, H. 2020). Users have been using Googles services a lot more since the pandemic; Google rebranded the logos in order to incorporate the productivity apps more effortlessly allowing people to use more than one app. Googles main focus was to depict to users that Google’s workplace is connected, helpful, and consists of flexible experience through the rebrand.

Fig. 11. Google Wordmark (2015)

In an interview with Professor Paul Cobley (see appendix 5) he had stated that the simplest of logos are the most striking examples of semiotics and graphic design which are formed by creative inspirations and then confirmed by what might be a semiotics assessment of the design’s suitability for purpose. In this case, the set of new logos consist of Google’s brand colours blue, red, yellow and green, as seen in the existing wordmark (see Figure 11), doing so makes the visual identity of Google looks consistent and therefore making the overall brand look professional and robust, which again makes Google stand out from its competition. The logos designed are closely aligned with Googles other services, for example, Google Maps, which was also redesigned at the beginning of 2020 (see Figure 12) to look similar to the Google and Chrome logo. The family of logos now represent the brand of Google and is now easily recognisable due to the simplicity.

Fig. 12. Left: the new Google Maps logo. Right: the old logo (2020)

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Ferdinand Saussure believed that semiotics was a way to communicate language through symbols. He proposed that signs consist of a signifier (an object) and signified (its meaning) (Noble and Bestley, 2005) and applying that theory within these logos proves that the sole purpose of a logo is to convey the purpose of the app. From a semiotic perspective, the new logos have the same style and components used to make different images. Despite the colours and style being the same; the icon of the logo is not, which is the main element that distinguishes each logo from one another. Each image has a different meaning which can be justified and can be seen, allowing people to distinctly see the individual service each app provides from the symbol. The image is communicating with the audience and informing them about the criteria of the app itself. When put together, the logos look like a cluster of colours, and the audience finds it difficult to differentiate the logos as they are overwhelmed by the similarity.

Unfortunately, a minority audience responded to the rebrand negatively as the logo alongside the other Workspace logos has created a defect in user experience. Despite the consistency of the designs being a great design decision, it did not go well with the audience as they find it hard to differentiate the apps mainly when the majority of the users use Gmail more. A user had stated that “A similar colour scheme for their entire suite of apps is a terrible idea. Now every app looks the same at a squint with the same colours.” (Parsons, 2020).

The new logos look eye-catching, and the idea of how each logo has been incorporated with Google’s colour palette to make the statement that the logos are all a part of Google. The use of colour allows each logo to look calm and less aggressive and the balance of similar shapes makes up the individual icons allowing each logo to have its particular symbolic meaning and directly telling the audience what the app is through the picture. On the other hand, when the logos are beside one another, the same use of colours on the apps make the bundle look like a cluttered mess. To conclude, the design concept was too focused on Google’s viewpoint of the app; instead, the target audience making user experience difficult.