New Favicon.ico for Google

[Demaestro]

I like the old one better but it could be that I am just used to it but it looks less like a "g" and more like a squiggly line.

What you think of it?

[mack]

Yea I noticed this earlier today, strange that they have went with an entirely different font to the Google logo.

Mack.

[lookingatit]

It's the g before the l in Google not the first one. yes noticed it today.

[venti]

Noticed it, as pathetic as that is :)

[Bones]

I was going to start a thread on this earlier, but didn't get around to it.

Presumably some agency somewhere has been paid a few thousand dollars to come up with that tiny bit of branding. I wonder what the brief was...

[Demaestro]

The original one had that Childrens wood Alphabet block look to it which I liked... this looks like some bored graphics person decided to play with some fonts and somewhere lost touch with identifying it will Google.

Sad that I care though.

EDIT...

After noticing that lookingatit pointed out that it is the blue g before the L in Google, it makes more sense but I still don't like.

[edited by: Demaestro at 5:14 pm (utc) on May 30, 2008]

[Asia_Expat]

It happened at exactly the same time my analytics session suddenly expired.
I'd like to know how they make your browser flush the old favicon because when I changed mine, it took days or weeks for my users to see the updated favicon.

[Demaestro]

Asia that is an excellent question....

Usually the browser checks from time to time and tries to update the Icons... they all seem to do it different but all my browsers have the new fav the first time I load so I wonder if there is something you can do to force the browser to re-check for it.

[BillyS]

Isn't the favicon just stored in cache, so depending on your settings it may look for a new one each time...

Anyway, I for one didn't notice the change. (Sorry)

[OutdoorMan]

Isn't the favicon just stored in cache, so depending on your settings it may look for a new one each time...

When I make or change my own favicon.ico's I have to flush the cache and close the browser (sometimes I have to wait until next time I turn on my computer to view the changes or the new favicon.)

I noticed G's new fav' -- I like it :)

[phranque]

asia_expat, you can get real nerdy with icons here:
[webmasterworld.com...]

i think it even answers your question!

[reshmi]

My heart goes out for the good 'ol G Missing it a lot. The new one seems very unknown and distant to dear Google

[Miamacs]

Don't you get the message?

'Favicons. A major factor.'

...

Now, coincidentally, I just started a Favicon optimization service.

[moftary]

Sucks!

[piatkow]

The first time I saw it I did a double take and double checked that I was on the correct site.

I usually have a couple of tabs open and find the favicon more useful than the name for recognition.

[ALbino]

Yesterday I only saw it on Google Images and today both G and GI are back to the normal G favicon for me.

[rowtc2]

It is a little ugly..Should be more blue.

[Andem]

It kind of looks like a shade of violet, doesn't it? To me, because of the size, it looks more like an 8 instead of a lower-case G.

[5ubliminal]

I like it! And I hope they change their PowerPoint-ish embossed stoneage looking logo.

Regards.

[appi2]

Right, so at least know I know its not some spyware toolbar thats taken over the browser.

Nice one G or is it g? grrr.

[londrum]

they probably swapped from big G to little g because of all this sporadic press they have been getting about being a nasty big brother who invades our privacy and spies on our every move.
a little g is more cute and cuddly.

[Demaestro]

^^^ lol

Could be, I guess I will have to get used to it but I still don't like it.

[cabowabo]

Yawn.

Is this what we have become? Discussing Favicons?!?!

[wruppert]

I don't like it at all. Looks more like an 8 or an ampersand to me.

[icedowl]

It simply looks goofy.

[tedster]

Here's my curmudgeon side.

When Google first went online, I thought their original favicon was lame. Time and repetition numbed that feeling for me, and the same will probably be true for this new favicon.

I sometimes wonder about the "branding" minds behind various changes. I never understood changing GoTo.com to Overture.com, for instance. They idea was supposed to be extending the brand beyond PPC marketing or some such.

Well, I'm sure there's some thinking behind this branding change - going from uppercase to lowercase shows Google as less domineering and friendlier, maybe?

[extremegolfer]

Looks a bit like a snake.

[Bddmed]

Anyone noticed the 'grey' around the g is going from light to darker at the bottom. It even has rounded corners. Just looks like a tiny button within the tab of the browser.

[londrum]

one wierd thing that i've noticed is that it seems to have alpha transparency.
if you use firefox, the bar turns yellow when you are on a https page, and the icon's background is see-through. but like bddmed says above, it greys out towards the bottom - but with a yellow tinge. it looks different when the bar is white.
i didn't think you could do that with .ico files.

[thecityofgold2005]

It doesn't relate to any of the Google branding up to now. A strange choice. When the icons next to my bookmarked searches changed I initially thought they'd been deleted..