Nike: Microsoft’s unexpected rebranding inspiration

Look up. Those are upcoming Microsoft logos — as strange as it may seem.

They’re new designs for Bing (left) and another Microsoft product (either Yammer or Skype), part of Microsoft’s overall effort to re-imagine itself, reports the Verge.

Clearly, Microsoft is aiming for the same flat design we see in its new Windows and Office logos — and that’s a good thing. The new logos feel cleaner and more modern than Microsoft’s previous designs, and the change shows the software giant isn’t afraid to try something different.

The new designs were a part of a presentation by Windows Phone design student manager Albert Shum and Todd Simmons, who’s the creative director at Wolff Olins, for a recent Design Day event in Norway. The pair discussed Microsoft’s efforts to revamp its design identity. Simmons also points out that Xbox, Bing, and Skype will see new logos soon.

According to the Verge, the pair discussed how Microsoft paid particular attention to certain brands like Nike when considering the company’s own redesign efforts.

“When you experience the Nike brand in whatever form you may experience it, there’s always a ‘Nikeness’ right … you can certainly see it without the logo,” Simmons said. That seems to be the goal of Microsoft’s new logos — they’ll still be distinct, but on a certain level you’ll be able to tell they’re Microsoft products.

A video of the presentation was initially put online at Vimeo, but unfortunately it looks like it’s been made private.