The new Google app icons are here: here are all the refreshed versions
Google has launched a comprehensive aesthetic overhaul of the icons dedicated to the Workspace suite, marking a clear departure from the graphic guidelines followed in recent years. The change, which involves pillars like Gmail, Drive, and Calendar, is based on two conceptual pillars: the integration of chromatic gradients that evoke the visual identity of Gemini (and other services such as Photos and Maps) and a drastic chromatic simplification aimed at solving one of the most pressing issues for users, namely the excessive visual similarity between different applications.
The previous mandate, which imposed the simultaneous use of the four corporate colors (red, blue, green, and yellow) in every single icon, has officially lapsed. This choice had made it difficult to quickly distinguish the apps in the taskbar or in the smartphone drawer. In the new set of icons, previewed by 9To5Mac, Google decided to remove the “container” in the shape of a sheet that enclosed many logos, allowing the icons themselves to take up more space and present more distinctive and unique shapes.
Changes in Google Workspace's visual identity: Gmail, Drive, and the return of skeuomorphism in Calendar
Gmail is the only partial exception to the new chromatic rule. While maintaining the four historical colors, the current design decisively emphasizes red, which dominates the “M” shape of the envelope. The edges appear slightly more rounded, but the choice to prioritize a single color makes the application immediately identifiable as part of the suite.
A similar discourse applies to Google Drive, which loses the red component to focus on the original blue, green, and yellow. The geometry of the triangle has been revisited: the exterior now appears decidedly more rounded, almost “bulbous,” while the inner triangle maintains sharp and acute angles.
Google Calendar, on the other hand, marks an unexpected direction with a return to skeuomorphism. The design explicitly references physical objects (tabletop calendars with tear-off sheets), abandoning the multicolored container in favor of a classic and solid blue. It’s a clear homage to the past, aiming for an immediate understanding of the app’s function.
The restyling of Google Meet is perhaps the most disruptive. The camera remains the central element, but the predominant color is now yellow, a chromatic choice not immediately linked to the service's history but one that serves to clearly distinguish it from the other icons. Conversely, Google Chat adopts a green that seems to pay homage to the old Hangouts; the pill-shaped message bubble now includes a detail reminiscent of a smile, softening the overall visual impact.
As for document creation tools, Google Docs retains the vertical sheet icon in blue, while Sheets and Slides switch to a horizontal orientation (landscape). This change is not purely aesthetic but reflects the actual use of the applications on desktops and tablets. Even the secondary apps follow this logic of cleanliness: Google Keep sheds the background to showcase only the light bulb, now rich with details and gradients, while Google Tasks keeps the blue checkmark within an element that resembles a physical button pressed upon completing a task. Finally, Google Voice presents with rounder shapes, maintaining the light green color shared with Chat, and Google Sites shifts to a lighter shade of blue with a horizontal layout.