Windows 10 is about to release on the beta version of the operating system the new icons: here's what changes
The new Windows 10 icons are about to arrive, those consistent with the so-called "Fluent Design". The first revamped icons have already been included in the Build 19569.1000 of the Windows 10 Insider Preview, which is the version of the operating system that Microsoft is testing for Insider Program members.
The new icons included by Microsoft in this build are those of the Alarm Clock and Clock, Calculator, Mail and Calendar apps. They have a more three-dimensional look and new colors, and will look the same on all versions of Microsoft's apps for all operating systems: including Android, iOS and macOS. Microsoft, thus, is trying to push forward its Fluent Design System project, heir to the Microsoft Design Language 2, born in 2017. The characteristics of this design are encapsulated in five key components: light, depth, movement, material and scale, which characterize Microsoft's app icons on all operating systems. Goodbye, then, to the old flat, monochromatic icons that, back in the days of Windows 8, Microsoft praised as the best in the world.
Microsoft Fluent Design: what it's all about
The Fluent Design is, first and foremost, a move to freshen up the image of Microsoft, its operating systems and its apps. It is a project that Microsoft defines as open source, because it is open to external contributions. In the page dedicated to Fluent Design on its website, however, Microsoft has already prepared a lot of material to "direct" developers to follow the Fluent Design: code samples, toolkits for major graphics programs, buttons and commands ready to be inserted in apps and much more.
Microsoft Fluent Design: what it's for
Many will wonder why Microsoft, instead of thinking to make updates that work, is spending time and resources in the creation of a new design for icons and apps. Christina Koehn, the woman leading Microsoft's design team, gave the answer: "Simply put: we've evolved. Our ecosystem experience is incredibly complex and has begun to spread from Windows to third-party platforms like Android, iOS and Mac. We strive to make our icons familiar, beautiful and inclusive in the modern phenomena of cross-platform and cross-device experiences." And, if it's still not clear, Koehn adds, "The addition of color also provides a consistent design language across platforms: the icon that's familiar in Windows 10 is the same on Android, iOS and Mac, providing a path of orientation through your digital life."