Microsoft Excel is a software, created by Microsoft as part no of the Microsoft Office package. The program is a spreadsheet, used for organizing data and numbers with the help of formulas. The software was developed in 1983 and today is available for both Windows and macOS operating systems.
The Microsoft Excel visual identity was redesigned about 7 times during the software’s history. With every Microsoft Office pack modification, the program’s logo was changed.
What is Microsoft Excel?
Microsoft Excel is a Microsoft spreadsheet program that allows you to store, organize, and analyze information. The first version of Excel was introduced in 1987, and today the program is available for various operating systems and is one of the essential Microsoft Office parts.
The original Excel logo was composed of three bold letters “X”, moving from light to dark, from left to right. The last “X” tail was styled as the letter “L” so that it formed “XL”, which reads the same as “Excel”.
The emblem was enclosed in a thin rectangular frame with rounded angles and had an inscription “Microsoft Excel” in all capitals in the upper part.
The logo from 1990 was more colorful and distinct. The big XL sign was executed in gray and light blue and the inscription “Microsoft” in small letters was placed above it.
The stylized “XL” was also featured in this logo, which made it more recognizable. The initials were accompanied by a gray, black, and white Excel table in the background. The logo lost the “Microsoft” part, which has never come back as the users already knew to whom the software belonged.
In 1995 the whole XL symbol was colored blue and placed on a diagonally located sheet with the colorful diagram on it, showing the purpose of the software.
The color palette of the Excel logo changed to green and white, which remains unchanged until today.
The new two-dimensional XL symbol is now bolder and is the only element, enclosed in a thin green frame with rounded angles.
In 2003 the green of the logo becomes lighter and the edges and angles — sharper.
The redesign of 2007 brings a new concept. The XL sign is now placed on a sheet with diagrams, which is diagonally located above the green square with its upper left corner rounded. The new logo stays with the program for only three years.
In 2010 the XL sign is enlarged and placed of a light green background with the same white and green sheet, placed diagonally. The contours of the “XL” are more distinct now and the logo looks strong and confident.
In 2013 Excel gets a new signature color — a deep forest green, which looks professional and trustworthy. The “XL” sign no longer exists, now it is a simple “X”, which is white and placed on a green cover of the notebook.
The latest redesign of the Excel visual identity follows the new Microsoft principle of the Fluent Design. The logo now is more three-dimensional and looks dynamic and modern.
The small square with a white “X” on it is placed above a larger square with rounded angles, which is composed of 9 rectangular segments, each of them in its own shade of green.
The only lettering on the logo of Microsoft Excel is the clean white capital “X”, set in a modern sans-serif typeface, with straight lines and cuts of the bars. That could be one of thousand fonts, for example, Saint Regus Medium, or Neue Frutiger Arabic Bold.
As for the color palette of the Microsoft Excel visual identity, it is set in green and white, a combination, standing for growth, development, and new beginnings. The dark shade of green represents the quality and professionalism of the program.