Back in the early days of the Internet, Internet Explorer was the go-to browser for most people on the Internet. According to w3 schools, 83% of Internet users used Internet Explorer in November 2002. In recent years however, other browsers have emerged that have started to slowly chip away at Microsoft’s Internet domination. Firefox has emerged as the new Internet browser superstar and is now being used by 46% of Internet users. Internet Explorer still holds its number two position however, it is under the constant threat of Chrome whose popularity has been steadily increasing since its introduction in 2008.
Microsoft is trying to remain one of the Internet browser kings by releasing and taking a new direction with their new IE9 browser. The new IE9 browser is faster, more modern and more lightweight. On their IEBlog, they have announced that along with IE9’s release, they have also redesigned IE9’s logo so that it embodies “the new, high performance modern platform and user interface.”
The new IE9 logo has a lighter blue glass texture and a tighter orbiting ring. It is supposed to better convey the notion that IE9 is a more forward-thinking, light-weight and slicker browser.
According to Microsoft’s IEBlog, "By reducing the contrast in stroke weight, we made it appear much lighter weight than the previous logo. The updated logo has more open negative space (counters) that maintain their presence at small sizes. The counters in the previous logo were very closed and disappeared at small scale. With no obvious horizontal or vertical variation in the character, the fluidity of the form is emphasized. The result is a simple, more open letterform….. We also updated the orbiter. To make it feel more alive, a small amount of transparency was added, and the stroke contrast and size of the shadow were decreased. Whereas the IE7/8 orbiter stops short of connecting to the e on the upper right side, the updated orbiter makes a full, more continuous connection. The updated orbiter is proportionally smaller when compared to the e than was its predecessor. These new proportions give more emphasis to the e, and give the logo a stronger presence."
Here is the old IE8 and the new IE9 logos side-by-side.
What do you think? Do you think that the new IE9 logo design is lighter, more alive and has a stronger presence than the old IE8 logo design?
To be honest, I didn’t think much of the new IE9 logo at first. Being an avid Firefox user, web developer and MAC user, I have a natural hate on for all things Microsoft. IE browser issues have been my nemesis for years and on numerous occasions, they have cost me a good nights sleep. I looked upon the new IE9 logo with much skepticism and doubt. At first glance, I thought ‘Really? That’s it. It hardly even looks any different.’ I was hoping for more. I was expecting more. I wanted something new, something beautiful and something shocking. The new IE9 logo is far from that however after seeing the IE8 and IE9 logos side-by-side, I can say that I do like the new IE9 logo design more than the old IE8 logo design. It is an improvement but at the same time, a disappointment. I keep waiting for Microsoft to do something that will blow my mind and change my opinion of them. Sadly, it looks like I’m just going to have to keep on waiting…