Menu
Microsoft has unveiled a new logo, reviving the MSN brand. MSN was an Internet portal that first appeared in 1995 with Windows 95, and was once an iconic name for the Internet generation. Microsoft recently announced that it will be merging its news and content services under the MSN brand, replacing the old “Microsoft Start” brand.
The background of the MSN brand revival is largely influenced by the recent Y2K sentiment as a trend. The MSN logo that was unveiled this time reinterprets the butterfly motif, a symbol of the past, with a modern design language. The MSN butterfly logo symbolizes the Internet culture of the early 2000s, and revives the retro sentiment of that time in a modern way, making it familiar yet new to users. The new logo uses gradient colors to bring to mind the bright and friendly image of the past MSN. It reflects the clean and sophisticated current Microsoft design philosophy with graphic language such as Copilot.
Microsoft changed the name of its core MSN services in 2021, introducing the “Microsoft Start” brand. But with this announcement, it is once again putting the MSN brand at the forefront, emphasizing the nostalgia it brings to existing users. “We have decided to consolidate our services under the MSN brand to provide better value to our users,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
MSN was once one of the most popular web portals in the world, and was the second most visited site in 2005. At the time, it was at the center of online communication with various services such as MSN Messenger and MSN Hotmail. It now operates as an integrated portal that provides various contents such as news, sports, and weather. Users can access MSN through the new tab page of the Edge browser, and the MSN mobile app also has a new logo.
Every Tuesday morning, a designer with 16 years of experience curated Collect design trends.
