Microsoft Bing Logo History: Comparing Redesign Decisions

The short answer

Bing's visual identity has passed through roughly four phases. It launched in 2009 with a lowercase wordmark. In 2013 a redesign added a standalone "b" symbol and a capitalized wordmark in a yellow-gold color. Around 2016 the palette shifted to teal. In 2020 the service was renamed Microsoft Bing, and the logo was reworked into a softer, gradient-colored "b" paired with the Microsoft name. The icon changed again in the generative-AI period that began in 2023, when Bing's symbol moved toward a multicolor gradient form.

This guide covers the search engine's main brand mark: the symbol, the wordmark and the color system. It does not cover sub-brands such as Bing Maps or Bing Ads, which became Microsoft Advertising, or the separate Copilot identity. It does not cover app-store icon variants either, except where they show the direction of the main mark.

A note on sources and confidence

The dates and descriptions below are the ones commonly reported for each version. They were not checked against Microsoft's primary records, such as press releases, brand guidelines or archived official asset files, for this article. No designer or agency credits are given here because none could be attributed with confidence. Where the article explains why a change was made, it separates three kinds of statement: what anyone can see in the logo, what Microsoft is reported to have said, and editorial interpretation. Anyone citing a specific date or rationale in professional work should confirm it against Microsoft's own announcements first.

How the Bing logo developed

2009: The launch wordmark

Bing replaced Live Search in mid-2009. Its first logo was a plain lowercase "bing" set in a rounded sans-serif, with no separate symbol.

What you can see: the letterforms are all lowercase, and the round bowls of the "b" and "g" give the word a compact, friendly shape. The lack of a symbol means the brand depended entirely on the word.

Interpretation: an all-type logo works well in a browser header or search box, where the name is the product. It works less well in places that need a square mark, such as app tiles and favicons, which became more important in the following years.

2013: Flat symbol and capitalized wordmark

In 2013 Bing introduced a geometric "b" symbol built from flat, angular planes, often described as a pennant or folded-ribbon shape. Next to it sat a capitalized "Bing" wordmark, widely reported to be drawn from Microsoft's Segoe type family. The main color was yellow-gold.

Documented context: the redesign arrived as Microsoft was moving its products onto a shared flat design language, the one associated with Windows 8 and the Metro style. This alignment is how the change is usually explained.

What you can see: there are no gradients or rounded bowls in the symbol, and the wordmark matches Microsoft's corporate typography more closely than the 2009 lettering did.

Interpretation: this is the version where Bing gained a mark that can stand alone at small sizes.

2016: Teal recolor

Around 2016 the symbol and wordmark changed from yellow-gold to teal. The basic shapes stayed largely the same.

What you can see: this was a color change, not a redraw of the shapes. No reliable statement of Microsoft's reasons for the new palette was established for this article, so any explanation of the teal choice should be treated as speculation.

2020: Rebrand to Microsoft Bing

In 2020 the service was renamed Microsoft Bing. The symbol was redrawn as a "b" with a curving, wave-like counter (the enclosed space inside the letter) and teal-to-blue gradient tones. The Microsoft name was added to the lockup, the fixed arrangement of symbol and words.

Documented context: the rename is reported to reflect Bing's integration across Microsoft products, so the Microsoft name became part of the brand itself.

What you can see: the sharp folded planes of 2013 gave way to curves, and flat color gave way to gradients. This matches the softer, more dimensional style that Microsoft's product icons adopted around the same time.

2023 onward: AI-era icon

When Bing added conversational AI features in 2023, its icon moved toward a multicolor gradient "b" with a swirling, ribbon-like form. This placed it closer to Microsoft's Copilot visuals than to the earlier Bing marks.

Several details could not be confirmed for this article: the exact rollout date, whether the new icon fully replaced the 2020 lockup in every context, and Microsoft's stated reasons for the change. Check current official brand assets before treating any one version as the live logo.

Comparing the redesigns

The table compares the versions on criteria that matter to designers and to anyone handling the assets. Each entry describes the general form of that version. These judgments were not made by viewing official specimens side by side at equal sizes, so treat them as orientation, not measurement.

Criterion | 2009 | 2013 | 2016 | 2020 | 2023 onward

Geometry and scalability

The 2013 and 2016 symbol is built from straight-edged flat planes. Shapes like this usually stay clear at very small sizes and in single-color uses such as embossing, vinyl cutting or monochrome print. The curved, gradient marks from 2020 onward look richer on screens. They usually need a separate flat or one-color version for small sizes and limited-color printing, because gradients can band (show visible color steps) or blur when reduced. These are general design tendencies, not results of tests on these specific files.

Typography

The 2009 lowercase wordmark had its own personality but was separate from Microsoft's corporate type. The move to a Segoe-style capitalized wordmark in 2013 traded that personality for consistency across the Microsoft family. Adding "Microsoft" to the lockup in 2020 went further in the same direction, making Bing read as one Microsoft product among many.

Color

The sequence runs from a single flat color, to a bold yellow-gold, to teal, and then to gradients. The flat versions are easier to specify and reproduce consistently with one color code per format. The gradient versions depend on correct color-profile handling and rendering, so they can look different across devices and print processes.

The overall direction

Read as a sequence, the redesigns show Bing moving away from its own standalone identity and toward closer integration with Microsoft's visual system. The 2013 change followed Microsoft's flat design language. The 2020 change added the corporate name. The AI-era icon follows Microsoft's broader AI branding. This is an editorial reading of the pattern; the only part described as Microsoft's stated intent is the reported rationale for the 2020 rename.

Which version should you use?

Showing Bing as it currently appears: use the current mark from Microsoft's official brand or press resources, and check which lockup applies to your context.
Writing a history or comparison piece: show each version at the same size on the same background, and label each with the period it is commonly associated with.
Designing for small sizes or single-color output: a flat, straight-edged mark reproduces most predictably, but use a historical version only when the historical reference is the point.
Recreating or tracing a version: work from the highest-quality official specimen available, and expect the gradient marks to need more construction work than the flat ones.

Working with Bing vector files

An SVG, EPS or AI file is not necessarily a clean vector drawing. Some files with these extensions contain an embedded raster image, outlines that were auto-traced and are full of excess points, or gradients that have been broken into many small shapes. Open the file and inspect its paths before relying on it for scaling or editing. Unofficial redraws may also differ from the official mark in proportions, spacing or color values.

The Bing logo and the Microsoft name are trademarks. Finding a file online, even in a collection of downloadable logos, does not give you permission to use it. Uses such as editorial reference, partner materials, advertising or merchandise each fall under Microsoft's trademark and brand guidelines, so check those terms for your intended use before publishing.

Open questions

Exact announcement dates for each redesign, especially the 2016 recolor and the AI-era icon.
Designer or agency credits for any version.
Microsoft's stated reasons for the 2016 color change and the post-2023 icon.
Official color values and construction specifications for each version.
Whether the AI-era icon has fully replaced the 2020 lockup, or whether the two coexist in different contexts.