Microsoft makes Windows 8 logo "official"

We reported a couple days ago that Microsoft was set to change their logo once again for Windows 8, introducing a Metro-aesthetic into the design of their famous logo. This was based on reports from a Chinese website, but today Microsoft has made the change official on their Windows blog

In addition, they provided a nice history of the Windows logo, as well as some clarification as to why they made the changes. It apparently all began when Paula Scher of the Pentagram design agency asked “your name is Windows. Why (is your logo) a flag?”

The answer, it seems, lies in Microsoft’s attempt to make their original logo reflect the advances in desktop computing over the years. The original logo for Windows 1.0 (anyone remember that?) did in fact use a series stylized windows as their design influence, but subsequent iterations (starting in Windows 3.1) added “motion” to the logo, eventually leading to the multicolored flag we’ve all grown to associate with Windows products.

The design team seized on this, realizing it would better fit in with the Metro design style, and better symbolize the future of Windows, rather than its past. Public reaction seems to be split on the change, but we do at least like the forward-looking concepts behind the change.

Check the source link for a closer look at the evolution of the Windows logo, and let us know how you feel about the new one in the comments below.