Google Changes, Colorizes Favicon

It looks like Google just updated their favorite icon for the second time in less then a year. Don’t see it? Visit  https://google.com/favicon.ico and refresh the page. Below, more about the old, new and newest ones. Google’s new fav icon (January 2009): Previous one (May 2008 – January 2009): Original favicon: (??? – May 2008) […]

Chat with SearchBot

Google Favicons

It looks like Google just updated their favorite icon for the second time in less then a year. Don’t see it? Visit  https://google.com/favicon.ico and refresh the page. Below, more about the old, new and newest ones.

Google’s new fav icon (January 2009):

Google's new fav icon

Previous one (May 2008 – January 2009):

Google's New Blue Fav Icon

Original favicon: (??? – May 2008)

Google's New Blue Fav Icon

Why the change? Google said in the past that the redesigned favicon reflected a “Simple, Playful & Unique Brand.” Has that changed? Maybe they changed it because some people really didn’t like the new favicon?

I have emailed Google for a comment. They had said previously that the one released in May 2008 wasn’t final and held a contest looking for submissions. Perhaps this is the winner.

Hat tip to Google Blogoscoped for spotting this first. For releated commentary, see here on Techmeme.

Postscript: Google’s new favicon has the official word from Google that the new icon is from the contest that was held.


About the author

Barry Schwartz
Staff
Barry Schwartz is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on Twitter here.

Get the must-read newsletter for search marketers.