Microsoft reveals the new Windows 8 logo: at last, it looks like a window

The software giant has revealed the logo for its forthcoming operating system. The Windows 8 logo moves away from the flag-like approach of earlier versions and becomes an almost literal window.

The new logo also draws heavily on the Metro Interface approach that Microsoft is now applying to Windows. It has a simple, clean design using just one colour. There are also classic influences, as it recalls the first logo used for Windows 1.0.

Some people jokingly suggest it looks like an inverted Finnish flag — we cannot say whether Microsoft's relationship with Nokia played any part in these Scandinavian influences. It has a blue background with a thin white cross in the centre, making it look like a window. The whole design is slightly tilted to convey movement.

Microsoft hired well-known design consultancy Pentagram to create the new Windows logo, aiming to move the concept away from the flag-like designs of earlier versions.