Google unveils new logo ahead of huge company restructure

The revamped design, unveiled on Tuesday, features a new typeface called "Product Sans" which is meant to resemble the simple font in a school book. The color combination of blue, red, yellow and green remains, however, although in slightly different hues.

The letter "e" at the end of the company's name has also been kept at an angle, interpreted by some to reflect Google's sometimes off-kilter thinking.

Google said the redesigned logo was "simple, uncluttered, colorful, and friendly" and represented the best of the company.

"We're introducing a new logo and identity family that reflects this reality and shows you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens," the California-based firm said in a blog post on Tuesday.

"We've taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices and different kinds of inputs - such as tap, type and talk."

The changes mark the logo's sixth redesign since the launch of the company in 1998. Google last updated its motif in September 2013.

New era ahead

The well-known lower case "g" which previously appeared on the smaller screens of smart phones and other similar devices has also been replaced with a blue capital "G."

A moving line of dots in the iconic Google color combination also now appears when a spoken search command is being processed and when Google service is carrying out a task.

The logo re-launch comes just weeks after Google announced a huge restructuring, which will see the company operate under the umbrella "Alphabet".

Google will retain search, YouTube and most of the brand's biggest divisions, but a number of other operations - including life sciences, drone deliveries and venture capital investments - will operate as individual companies, but under the Alphabet umbrella.

ksb/jr (AFP, AP)