Microsoft has unveiled colourful new icons for Office

Microsoft has unveiled new icons for its Office programs, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

The colourful designs will be rolled out to nearly one billion Office users across the world in the coming months, replacing the icons that were introduced in 2013.

Microsoft said it chose colours that were “bolder, lighter and friendlier”, while embracing “simplicity and harmony”.

“We wanted a visual language that emotionally resonates across generations, works across platforms and devices, and echoes the kinetic nature of productivity today,” a spokesperson wrote in a blog post.

The result is two panels – one featuring the letter and one with the symbol – that can be put together or separated. The Word icon, for example, features the letter “W” half-attached to a square containing blocks of blue – representing lines of text.

Here are all the new icons (click to enlarge):