SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Tuesday refreshed its logo to better suit mobile devices that are supplanting desktop computers when it comes to modern Internet lifestyles.

The revised design features the same mix of blue, red, yellow and green that Google has been using throughout its nearly 17-year history, though the hues are slightly different shades.

Google also invented a new typeface called "Product Sans" that is meant to resemble the simple printing in a grade-school book.

It will replace a serif typeface that Google has been using in its logo for more than 16 years. The "e'' in the company's name will remain slightly tilted to reflect Google's sometimes off-kilter thinking.

A swirl of dots in Google's colours will also appear when a spoken command for information is being processed or one of the company's other services is performing a task.

"We're introducing a new logo and identity family that reflects this reality and shows you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens," the California-based Internet firm said in a blog post.

"We've taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices and different kinds of inputs ─ such as tap, type and talk.

"This isn't the first time we've changed our look and it probably won’t be the last, but we think today’s update is a great reflection of all the ways Google works for you across Search, Maps, Gmail, Chrome and many others. We think we've taken the best of Google (simple, uncluttered, colourful, friendly), and recast it not just for the Google of today, but for the Google of the future."

The unveiling of the new logo came just weeks after a surprise reorganisation of Google under a newly-formed parent company called Alphabet.

The plan calls for Alphabet to be the corporate parent, with an operating unit for Google and its related search operations, and a handful of other operating firms created for projects in health, Internet delivery, investment and research.

While Google is known as the dominant player in Internet search, it has launched a variety of projects in recent years that are marginally related at best to its core operation.

The projects include self-driving cars, Google Glass, internet balloons, drones, health care, Google TV, mobile payments, home automation and its Google+ social network, among others.

The Google unit, to be headed by current company vice president Sundar Pichai, will include search, ads, maps, YouTube, Android and related technology infrastructure.

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