4 ms·

This site made me realize the windows 1.x and windows 2.x (the ones from the early 80s!) logos look surprisingly modern! Flat single-colored simple shape as is

This site made me realize the windows 1.x and windows 2.x (the ones from the early 80s!) logos look surprisingly modern! Flat single-colored simple shape as is the trend today, with a light blue color that doesn't even exist in the standard EGA color palette. As opposed to the much more colorful and busy icons that came after. But then of course Windows 10 and Windows 11 are flat-single-colored simple shapes again since they are _actually_ released during today's logo design trends.

V__ 3y ago
I would even say the flat XP logo looks more modern than Windows10 or 11.
grotorea 3y ago
Fashion is cyclical? Or is it just that these simpler icons were more adapted to the simpler video there existed at the time?
- II2II 3y ago
  There are likely various factors at play. Monochrome logos were expensive in past since colour printing (especially quality colour printing) was expensive. Apple was notorious for their colour logo, supposedly because they wanted to emphasize that they were offering colour personal computers. Ironically, they would introduce the black and white Macintosh a few years later. At least with respect to user interfaces, many of the design elements were meant to emphasize the improved graphics capabilities. For example: the so-called "3-D" elements graphical elements of the mid-1990's, which were little more than shading to add the perception of depth, highlighted improved colour depth. I would imagine that something similar was at play when it came to product logos. So it's probably more of a case of more complex logos for more complex video. Highlighting the improved graphics capabilities is meaningless these days, so there is little point in constraining themselves to colour logos, which gave an opportunity for simpler logos to return.
  - hulitu 3y ago
    > At least with respect to user interfaces, many of the design elements were meant to emphasize the improved graphics capabilities. And software capabilities. Compare Windows 2000 with Windows 10. But even the sultans loved eunucs so who am i here to speak. /s
micheljansen 3y ago
I thought those were just placeholder images, but you are right those were the actual logos of Windows at the time. Beautiful serif typography to match too: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_logo_and_wordmark_-_(1985-1989).svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_logo_and_wor...
- jsnell 3y ago
  Is the typography really that beautiful? The kerning on "Windows" looks really off to me.
luuio 3y ago
Looking through that list, Windows XP logo has the perfect balance of: - Simple solid modern colors, no halo/vignette effect like the Vista/7 logos - Multiple colors, not just one single boring blue color like the newer logos - The S-curve lines are just soft enough, yet not overly complicated, but also not boring straight lines
- chungy 3y ago
  The front page does not have the normal Windows XP logo. See Wikipedia for the unmodified one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_XP_logo_and_wordmark.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_XP_logo_and_wordm...
izoow 3y ago
Looking at the Windows 1.x logo and then the Windows 11 logo... wow, they really went full circle
hulitu 3y ago
> But then of course Windows 10 and Windows 11 are flat-single-colored simple shapes again since they are _actually_ released during today's logo design trends Which were design trends when Windows 1.0 was released. Back then, the resources were limited, now they are infinite.

V__ 3y ago

I would even say the flat XP logo looks more modern than Windows10 or 11.

grotorea 3y ago

Fashion is cyclical? Or is it just that these simpler icons were more adapted to the simpler video there existed at the time?

II2II 3y ago
There are likely various factors at play. Monochrome logos were expensive in past since colour printing (especially quality colour printing) was expensive. Apple was notorious for their colour logo, supposedly because they wanted to emphasize that they were offering colour personal computers. Ironically, they would introduce the black and white Macintosh a few years later. At least with respect to user interfaces, many of the design elements were meant to emphasize the improved graphics capabilities. For example: the so-called "3-D" elements graphical elements of the mid-1990's, which were little more than shading to add the perception of depth, highlighted improved colour depth. I would imagine that something similar was at play when it came to product logos. So it's probably more of a case of more complex logos for more complex video. Highlighting the improved graphics capabilities is meaningless these days, so there is little point in constraining themselves to colour logos, which gave an opportunity for simpler logos to return.
- hulitu 3y ago
  > At least with respect to user interfaces, many of the design elements were meant to emphasize the improved graphics capabilities. And software capabilities. Compare Windows 2000 with Windows 10. But even the sultans loved eunucs so who am i here to speak. /s

micheljansen 3y ago

I thought those were just placeholder images, but you are right those were the actual logos of Windows at the time. Beautiful serif typography to match too: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_logo_and_wordmark_-_(1985-1989).svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_logo_and_wor...

jsnell 3y ago
Is the typography really that beautiful? The kerning on "Windows" looks really off to me.

luuio 3y ago

Looking through that list, Windows XP logo has the perfect balance of: - Simple solid modern colors, no halo/vignette effect like the Vista/7 logos - Multiple colors, not just one single boring blue color like the newer logos - The S-curve lines are just soft enough, yet not overly complicated, but also not boring straight lines

chungy 3y ago
The front page does not have the normal Windows XP logo. See Wikipedia for the unmodified one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_XP_logo_and_wordmark.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_XP_logo_and_wordm...

izoow 3y ago

Looking at the Windows 1.x logo and then the Windows 11 logo... wow, they really went full circle

hulitu 3y ago

> But then of course Windows 10 and Windows 11 are flat-single-colored simple shapes again since they are _actually_ released during today's logo design trends Which were design trends when Windows 1.0 was released. Back then, the resources were limited, now they are infinite.