Smooth transition: Google begins switching to a new icon design +++ Criticism of the new Google search | News

The group based in Mountain View (California) has decided to redesign almost all of the services it offers. The entire impression changes; At the same time, Google sticks to using intense colors and combining them. But instead of clearly defined areas, gradients are now used.

For many years, Google’s brand design relied on elementary color surfaces. The large M, which is used for the mail app, can be symbolic of this: the colors red, green, yellow and blue are each clearly separated from one another – as has been the case for many years. The G in the already revised icon of the Google app is completely different: the shape remains largely the same, but instead of separate areas there are transitions.

Google’s changed icons: Delimited areas make room for gradients.

Suddenly plastic
But it doesn’t stop there that icons are now filled with gradients. With some icons, Google also says goodbye to the flat, two-dimensional appearance and gives icons a simulated depth. This is most evident in the “Google Drive” and “Google Photos” apps, but Docs, Sheets and presentations now also appear to be three-dimensional.

Google’s new icons with plasticity – similarities with Liquid Glass are probably a coincidence.

Controversial search overhaul
At the “Google I/O” developer conference, the company announced radical changes to the original product: Google search will be massively redesigned and will become an AI-supported “agentic search”. A dynamic search field asks questions and dynamically offers additions. From now on, Google mainly delivers AI-generated answers instead of search results and is therefore more like an AI chat than a search.

Reactions: “Google is abolishing Googling”
The live stream has now been viewed almost 9 million times, but only received 28,000 thumbs up, which isn’t a lot given the number of views. Google does not allow comments under the video. Instead, reactions can be found in other media, such as The Verge. The enthusiasm is mixed with negative tones: This is a complete betrayal of what Google used to stand for. Some say they want to turn their backs on Google searches. Commentators like the YouTube channel TechLinked have gone so far as to declare the death of Google search.