The new Microsoft icons are part of a larger redesign of the design

Microsoft is modernizing its Office icons as part of a more holistic approach to the design of its various Office applications. This is the first time Office icons have changed in five years and are designed to be simpler and more modern and apply to multiple devices and platforms. Office now exists on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and Microsoft has implemented a single code base to provide fast monthly improvements to applications. These icons are designed to reflect the recent evolution of Office, with new features of artificial intelligence, more collaborative features and platform independence for key applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

The new icons hide the letter of each Office app, but still manage to look familiar. "Our design solution was to separate the letter and symbol from the icons, basically creating two panels (one for the letter and one for the symbol) that we can pair or separate," says Jon Friedman, Director of Design Associate at Microsoft. "This allows us to stay familiar while emphasizing simplicity when you are in the application."

Microsoft replaced the outlines the documents in the previous icons with lines of text for Word and individual users cells for Excel. Surprisingly, the icons always have an instantly recognizable appearance, which is important for the millions of users who launch these applications every day. Elsewhere, OneDrive and Skype icons retain their unique appearance in a more modern way. OneDrive is still a cloud, while Skype dropped most of its bubbles on what looks like a call button with a simple S logo.

Icons are only part of the design and Microsoft brings some subtle changes to Office elsewhere. The software giant simplifies its ribbon interface and upgrades its Fluent Design system from Windows 10 to Office applications. Subtle color changes designed to modernize the appearance of Office are emerging on Windows, Mac, mobile devices and the Web. One of Microsoft's most popular mobile applications, Outlook Mobile, is also undergoing a major design overhaul with support for shared messaging and new gestures for accounts and folders.