Excel Logo History

The current Excel logo was first rolled out in April 2019, which means it’s about the same age as the average lifespan across the series (3.6 years).

It arguably represents the best phase of Excel’s illustrious history, where the pace of change went up several notches. Microsoft 365 subscriptions put perpetual versions in the gutter, and the introduction of dynamic arrays, LAMBDAs, and a multitude of functions came our way.

I’m lucky (and old) enough to have had every logo span my lifetime. Back in school, I vaguely recollect catching a glimpse of the Excel 5.0 icon (1990) on the Windows 3.1 desktop we seldom used. Not that I ever had the luxury of double-clicking on it, though (we only dabbled with Word and Paint whilst the classroom assistant watched our every move).

For six years, the same logo was the face of Excel 2013 and Excel 2016, making it the longest-lasting thus far.

Will that be surpassed, though? I don‘t get an inkling a new one is on the horizon any time soon, so it could well be another few years before we see a refresh.

What do you think?