Bing, Skype, Xbox rebranding coming soon

Look who’s getting a makeover! Microsoft is giving Bing and Xbox logos – amongst other services –a spruced up new “flat” look to match with the rest of its product bouquet.

Windows Phone design studio general manager Albert Shum and Todd Simmons, creative director at Wolff Olins, at the recent Design Day Event in Norway revealed plans of “re-imagining” Microsoft. Part of this plan includes an overhaul in the logo designs for Bing, Skype, Yammer and even Xbox.

The redesigned Bing logo

The newly imagined designs are going to be on the lines of the now-familiar flat redesigns of Microsoft, Windows and Office brand logos. Showing off an old concept video, Simmons revealed a new Bing logo that looks like a minimalistic paper plane. Another blue-print of the design looks like it could be the foundation of a new Skype logo in the latter half of the video too.

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“We thought about Nike,” says Simmons. “When you experience the Nike brand in whatever form you may experience it, there’s always a Nikeness right…you can certainly see it without the logo.” It looks like Microsoft was sufficiently inspired by Nike to try and create products that look like they come out of one basket and are still recognisable by themselves.

The “re-imagination” process formed the crux of the decision behind changing the brand identity of Windows. The three main drivers behind the process were people, reach and choice, according to Simmons. He admitted that the team realises the risk – rebranding a popular product over a billion users is never easy. But unless they take the plunge, it never will be.

Could the blue logo be that of Skype?

You can check out the entire 45 minute long Design Day talk in the video below.

What do you think of the redesigned Bing logo? Let us know in the comments!