A New Era for Microsoft Office Icons: The Design World Is Divided
Venore Worldwide
Every time a tech giant tweaks its visuals, the internet loses its mind. This time, the spotlight is on Microsoft. Just as the dust was settling from the Microsoft 365 rebrand, the company has started testing a brand-new suite of icons for its Office apps from Word and Excel to Teams and SharePoint.
Flat design had a long reign, but Microsoft seems ready to bring depth back. The proposed icons introduce color gradients, layers, and soft shadows marking the comeback of a 3D aesthetic. The result feels livelier, more playful, and far less corporate. In fact, the new icons look like distant cousins of Windows 11’s 3D emojis, signaling a clear shift toward warmth and approachability.
As always, the internet is split right down the middle. Some users on Reddit are celebrating the “end of the dreadful flat design era,” while others complain that Microsoft has gone too far with the color blending and shadows. PowerPoint’s new icon, for instance, has drawn criticism for losing its recognizable pie-chart motif replaced by a more abstract, almost unidentifiable form.
It’s the same old design debate in a new package: Should icons be beautiful, or should they be intuitive? Some argue that Microsoft’s apps are so universally recognized that visual metaphors are no longer needed icons can now serve a purely aesthetic purpose. Others counter that icons should simplify meaning, not obscure it.
Microsoft hasn’t made anything official yet. Reports suggest the company has shown the new designs to a select group of users in a feedback survey, offering a $10 gift card as thanks. This would be Microsoft’s first major icon refresh since 2018, and part of a broader effort to modernize the visual identity of its productivity suite.
This isn’t really about gradients or drop shadows it’s about how Microsoft wants to be seen. The new icons represent the brand’s attempt to evolve beyond traditional “office software” and into a more human, design-driven space.
The verdict isn’t in yet, but one thing’s clear: Microsoft isn’t just changing how Office looks it’s redefining how modern productivity feels.
Flat design had a long reign, but Microsoft seems ready to bring depth back. The proposed icons introduce color gradients, layers, and soft shadows marking the comeback of a 3D aesthetic. The result feels livelier, more playful, and far less corporate. In fact, the new icons look like distant cousins of Windows 11’s 3D emojis, signaling a clear shift toward warmth and approachability.
As always, the internet is split right down the middle. Some users on Reddit are celebrating the “end of the dreadful flat design era,” while others complain that Microsoft has gone too far with the color blending and shadows. PowerPoint’s new icon, for instance, has drawn criticism for losing its recognizable pie-chart motif replaced by a more abstract, almost unidentifiable form.
It’s the same old design debate in a new package: Should icons be beautiful, or should they be intuitive? Some argue that Microsoft’s apps are so universally recognized that visual metaphors are no longer needed icons can now serve a purely aesthetic purpose. Others counter that icons should simplify meaning, not obscure it.
Microsoft hasn’t made anything official yet. Reports suggest the company has shown the new designs to a select group of users in a feedback survey, offering a $10 gift card as thanks. This would be Microsoft’s first major icon refresh since 2018, and part of a broader effort to modernize the visual identity of its productivity suite.
This isn’t really about gradients or drop shadows it’s about how Microsoft wants to be seen. The new icons represent the brand’s attempt to evolve beyond traditional “office software” and into a more human, design-driven space.
The verdict isn’t in yet, but one thing’s clear: Microsoft isn’t just changing how Office looks it’s redefining how modern productivity feels.
