A week after the Chrome logo underwent it's facelift, designer Steve Rura explained on the Google Chrome Blog, that the change reflected the core meaning of Google’s web browser - ‘easy and clutter free’.
He went on to discuss the new ‘simpler’ icon, and how better captured the essence of Chrome. “Even before this effort, the new version of the Chrome logo was already being conjured up by Googlers and Chrome fans. Numerous creative reinterpretations have organically moved the icon towards simplicity and abstraction, so it felt right to make the icon structure cleaner and easier to recreate,” he said.
“Redesigning the icon was very much a group effort. Collectively, we explored many variations, tried the icon in several different contexts, and refined the details as we moved along. It was important to maintain consistency across all media, so we kept print, web, and other possible formats in mind. Once we arrived at a good place, we finished up the icon by resizing, pixel-pushing, and getting everything out the door.”