Although Yahoo rolled out a new logo last week, Google has not yet teased a refresh of its own, as a report initially suggested.
Tech site Arstechnica reported on Monday that a refreshed Google logo design was hiding within the Chrome Beta for Android browser. But sources familiar with Google's branding guidelines told Mashable the logo is not new. In fact, it has been used internally and externally for years for printing event banners and whitepapers.
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For example, the logo was used in 2010 for a paper on Google's economic impact (.PDF).
It remains unclear why this logo surfaced on the Android browser -- the source suggests it could have been uploaded by mistake -- but this version is just a flat version of the logo used mainly for physical printing. Google employees often opt for this one to prevent issues related to workaround issues with the design radiant.
The differences between the old and newly surfaced logo are subtle; the latest design removes mellows out the colors just a bit and appears more flat.
The new logo was used in the tab page of Chrome Beta Android APK but has since been removed.
Google's logo has not gotten a new look since 2010, when the colors were brightened and some of the shading was removed.
Last week, Yahoo unveiled its new logo, removing all straight lines in the letters. It was the first logo refresh for Yahoo since its launch 18 years ago.