Scant on details, the IEBlog announced that they’re updating the Internet Explorer logo for version 7: As part of this update, we’re refreshing our icon and logotype.
What’s most interesting about this “refresh” is the change from”Microsoft Internet Explorer” to the ominously embedded “Windows Internet Explorer”. The marketing folks will probably tell you that they changed it simply to “better reflect the fact that IE is so nicely integrated into the desktop” but I have strong doubts that the world’s largest software manufacturer makes such a change on a whim. What do you think this means?
More than likely there’s some legal reason for this, about which I can speculate little. However, while I’m pointing out curiosities, I noticed that the new typeface is anything but a normal font. I’m sure someone will point me in the right direction, but it’s none of the new Vista faces, so I have no idea what it might be. Seems to be some Helvetica/Calibri combination, but more than likely it’s something entirely different.
What’s so interesting about this — similar to Mozilla’s use of Font Shop’s proprietary Meta – is that it becomes nearly impossible for the community at large to make derivative works that look anything like the official logo. Convenient for the trademark holder, but rather inconvenient for folks wanting to promote the brand, non?
Technorati Tags: internet explorer, microsoft, branding, ie7
Factory Joe 
Possibly it is to differentiate it from Internet Explorer on any other OS (e.g. Mac.) as IE7 needs some serious help in that area. Sort of a “This is the Windows browser and because of that it rocks!” Or some such.