The Next Microsoft • Hacker News Board

Re: The Next Microsoft

#11

Post by geori » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:29 PM UTC

programminggeek wrote: post #6

This is great. It will never work. A brand has to reflect the culture of how a product is made, sold, experienced, etc... Microsoft is not about simplicity, it's about feature creep. Microsoft sells software and licenses to big companies. Big companies don't want simple, they want value for their money - features! A better brand promise would be Microsoft - It Does Everything! Look at Windows 8. Is it going metro onl…

Could have easily made the same criticism of Apple in the mid 90s. Microsoft can definitely be saved. You just have to fire Ballmer and put a visionary in charge. There are still some really good people working at Microsoft. Unfortunately, the leadership and vision haven't been there. Nobody has been willing to take risks.

They took a risk in killing the OEMs and building Surface in house. They now need to take a bigger one.

Re: The Next Microsoft

#12

Post by revelation » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:30 PM UTC

programminggeek wrote: post #6

This is great. It will never work. A brand has to reflect the culture of how a product is made, sold, experienced, etc... Microsoft is not about simplicity, it's about feature creep. Microsoft sells software and licenses to big companies. Big companies don't want simple, they want value for their money - features! A better brand promise would be Microsoft - It Does Everything! Look at Windows 8. Is it going metro onl…

I think you're mistaking feature creep with their crazy good backwards compatibility. They simply can't remove anything.

Re: The Next Microsoft

#13

Post by DrCatbox » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:30 PM UTC

Surely a new logo and "branding communication" will change the way a corporation works and conducts its business.

Re: The Next Microsoft

#14

Post by weego » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:32 PM UTC

The irony being that chunks of that (note the boxes, bags) would match Apple stock product surrounds almost exactly if they had an apple on instead.

I also don't understand in a branding exercise why you pick some photos of planets (when Apple is known for its use space imagery on the desktop) and start from there. There needs to be a reason to result path, not a pre-determined result and then ignore of fit some reason to it.

Re: The Next Microsoft

#15

Post by esbwhat » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:37 PM UTC

I'm no designer, but aren't logos supposed to be recognizable? This is a geometric shape, why not just use a square for the logo, or a triangle?

Would people really associate this shape (which isn't particularly unique and probably not even trademark-able) with microsoft when they see it? I have my doubts

Also unrelatedly, the missing i-dot is really throwing me off (probably just because I am used to it)

Re: The Next Microsoft

#16

Post by eragnew » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:39 PM UTC

very interesting. hopefully someone at msft is listening.

btw, would love to know what you used to put this presentation together.

Re: The Next Microsoft

#17

Post by wickedchicken » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:43 PM UTC

While I think it's cool that designers show off their creativity in thinking up new ideas for old products, I could never shake the feeling that this was design's answer to fanfiction. The original creators have to look back and go "okay...?"

Re: The Next Microsoft

#18

Post by trentmb » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:44 PM UTC

It's certainly not worse.

Re: The Next Microsoft

#19

Post by neovive » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:45 PM UTC

Very nicely done!! When I first looked at the logo it reminded me of Accenture, so I don't know if the font would work, but it is a step in the right direction.

I really liked the metaphor of seeing different things through the windows (slates). This could be leveraged by Microsoft as a play on "this is your Windows" or "what do you see through your Windows".

Re: The Next Microsoft

#20

Post by mrspandex » Tue, Jul 03, 2012, 6:47 PM UTC

rjv wrote: post #7

I don't understand all the hate on the new Windows logo in particular. Am I the only one who doesn't have a problem with it?

As far as products go, that's about the only thing he changed at all. I think it just is a way to differentiate between the "old" MS and the "new" MS in branding.