What this means is for the much beloved YouTube logo is the following – more emphasis on the You part of the logo and less so on the Tube part, and renewed focus on the familiar play button which has literally become the icon for the popular media site. Other modifications include a brand new typeface, a new color scheme and also a host of major changes to the way the site looks and feels both on desktop and smartphones. The red color inside the Tube part of the name has been gotten rid of, which is to shift the focus away from that part when you look at it for the first time. Also, the play icon that has become a symbol for YouTube in the last few years will not appear to the left of the symbol, and not the right.
According to Google, this is to make the YouTube symbol adaptable to even the smallest of screens as Google expands to markets across the globe – Android is the most popular mobile OS in the world and is set to grow even further as mobile companies target the smartphone market in developing countries that has millions of potential users. It is not just the logo that is being overhauled, the Youtube mobile and desktop versions will also see an important update that will help them fall in line with the so called Material Design aesthetic code that runs through all other Google apps and other properties such as Android, Search and Docs.
The rationale for doing this is that the Google services, especially YouTube, are high density and for ease of viewing and browsing, Material is the way to go. What Material Design would mean for you is that you will find fewer shadows, boxes and forms on each page of the service. The result is that the user will find the site more comfortable and easier to read through with the content of the actual webpage brought to the foreground for the user to read. Also, it will help integrate the YouTube platform with the ever increasing universe of applications that Google is introducing on its Android platform and Google Chrome.
YouTube Interface
The overhaul does not stop at a unifying design for all its apps but Google will also bring a certain parity to the various services that it provides to Android users. This will include things such as variable speed playback, available for years on its desktop version, to mobile users. Also, the better features of the mobile app will also see a gradual migration to the desktop version, including the mini player that reduces to the small icon while you browse for your next clip. In fact, YouTube is testing a new version of the feature for desktops right now.
The new logo and the Material Design are not the end of it as Google is also working to make available a wide range of features that were previously only available to only beta testers. For example, users will soon have access to a dark theme that will switch off the lights on your PC in some sense, which is supposed to make the video pop out more. The mobile app will also get some new additions including a brand new nav bar and the ability for the videos you are playing to fill your screen regardless of whether the clip is formatted horizontally, vertically or in square shape. The variable speed playback will also be a great addition in the functionality of the app.
While the most recent updates to the mobile app have made it possible to go ahead or go back 10 seconds on the video quickly by just double tapping on the video, Google is also planning to add support to switch between videos themselves quickly – all you have to do is swipe left and right to go back or ahead, but the company is mum on when the update will actually be added.
