Somewhere over the rainbow....you'll find giant tech companies borrowing the same pre-kindergarten array of colors for their logos.
Google's colorful, definitely not evil new logo helpfully includes the word "Google" so that it can't be confused with any other companies. It's definitely Google, although evolved, the original logo's designer, Ruth Kedar, told Mashable.
But the colors? They still look more than a little Microsofty to regular people, especially the yellow that the two companies are "sharing," as Color Hunt points out.
The Color Hunters blog tackled the question by asking, "is there any difference between Google's and Microsoft's colors?"
The answer: no, not really.
The blog, which is a favorite of sleek, artsy design types, says Microsoft's colors are "way more saturated," with emphasis theirs. Their proof is in this handy chart:
But if you don't have the eagle eyes of a design genius, the colors in the two logos, even side by side, look very nearly the same. The yellow is the same yellow except for a minor differentiation, and perhaps that accounts for some of the similarity.
Google and Microsoft aren't the only ones to favor similar shades of the rainbow logo, however. Apple, eBay and even the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow favor the same bright range:
But @mashable, What about this logo & colours? :-) https://t.co/03GsfAQGKe pic.twitter.com/09z2aMt44M— Adrian Doherty (@EarthyAndroid) September 6, 2015
Color Hunters explains the (very subtle) difference between Microsoft and Google's colors like this:
As described by Google, the brand's Material Design Colors are supposed to represent reality, and this is why they have a lower saturation. Google's "Material design" is about "real world" materials, so it is expected from Google to use real life colors.
On the other hand, Microsoft, which is also a digital brand, uses much brighter and saturated colors that may be more related to the digital world and the computer screen than the “real world”. It seems like Microsoft used the colors from the digital world, and Google is pushing “real life” colors into the digital world.
Google explains the "real world" idea this way: "Material takes cues from contemporary architecture, road signs, pavement marking tape, and athletic courts. Color should be unexpected and vibrant."
Well...not that unexpected, Microsoft might say.