Microsoft began rolling out new icon designs for its Windows 10 users on 20th February 2020. The new design is aimed at giving the widely used operating system a more modern and friendly look.
Icon updates for many built-in Windows apps are already available for Fast Ring testers of Windows 10. However, other users will have to wait as the administrators roll it out for them.
Calculator, Groove Music, Mail, Voice Recorder, Alarms & Clock, Movies & TV, and Calendar are some of the first built-in apps to get a makeover. The new design gives them a more colourful look.
According to a blog post by Christina Koehn, Microsoft had used its Fluent Design to achieve this latest look. The post titled: Iconic Icons: Designing the World of Windows, shed more light on the process.
In explaining the rationale behind the new design, Koehn explained that Microsoft is always adapting to consumers’ wants. This is a known fact considering the evolution of icons looks over the years.
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With the fact that PCs are more common now than in the past, people need to feel more comfortable using their computers. Thus the need for this redesign.
“Flat, monochrome icons look great in context of colorful tiles, but as more icon styles enter the ecosystem, this approach needs to evolve.
“When icons in the taskbar and Start menu are different styles, it creates more cognitive load to scan and find applications. We needed to incorporate more visual cues into the icon design language using our modernized Fluent Design Language,” Christina Koehn posted.
Because the developers are dedicated to making icons “familiar, beautiful, and inclusive” they have started to spill out of Windows. Even third-party platforms like Android, iOS, and Mac bear some Windows icon design semblance.
Most users will start to see new icons as app updates from the Microsoft Store while others may already be seeing it. While Windows Insiders in the Release Preview ring will already have seen the Mail and Calendar icons already rolled out. Others who are Insiders in the Fast ring, may see theirs anytime soon and in the following weeks.
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