Welcome

Microsoft took their sweet time unveiling an updated version of Office for the Mac. Until this week when version 2008 was officially released at Macworld, we’ve been using version 2004 to get on with officey-type stuff. I, being ever the modernist, felt the need to get the new Office and, being the altruist that I am, felt compelled to share my first reactions with you the lovely readers.

First things first, the packaging. The 2004 packaging was awkward, bulky, and plastic. Environmental issues aside, we all scratched out heads back in 2004 when this first hit shelves. Is there something wrong with cardboard? And the interface problem soon appeared whereby you can’t exactly fit this packaging on the shelves next to your other software. Luckily, the new version is in an old-fashioned box, and sports an updated style of art direction.

Microsoft Office packaging – 2004 and 2008

I like the new flatness featured in the 2008 suite, but not crazy about the faded swooshes that seem to be a theme throughout. We can see this in the splash screens as well.

Flatness is the emerging as the aesthetic of the times. Whereas in 2002, when I started using a Mac full-time, everything was bubbly plastic and semi-translucent, these days it’s solid, stern, orthogonal and matte. The new folder icon for MS Office conforms to the Leopard standard, but the icons do not! These icons simply look terrible and I think I actually gasped when I spotted them.

I took one look at these newfangled icons and immediately launched Candy Bar to change them back to the look of 2004, which I like. Why did they try to make these application icons so ugly? Bringing back the plastic look is not only out of character for the times in general, but it goes against the styles they’ve just established! I just don’t understand it.

Along the same lines, let it be known that for the first time in nearly 6 years, an installer has automatically added 6 icons to my dock without my permission! That’s right, the entire Office suite, including messanger, was added to my dock without asking. Obviously, it’s a small effort to remove and reorder them, but it’s the principle. You don’t own me Microsoft!

Speaking of not owning me yet continually insisting, Office 2008 is guilty of what I consider the highest of high crimes for a graphic designer — it assumed how to managed my fonts! Office 2008 installed at least 50 fonts, including east asian typefaces, into my Library/Fonts/ folder and activated them without my permission. Just look at the this crazy list! Keep in mind this is only the bottom half of the list, and keep in mind that I prefer to operate with no more than 10 [absolutely essential] fonts active. I’m a designer, I manage my own fonts.

How many Lucida variations does a person need? Considering I have never used that typeface ever for anything, I say probably not more than one. Ugh, fonts.

So here already is a very powerful reaction to the new Office products, without even having used the software itself! This may sound like a superficial aesthetic review, it’s important for the future of Microsoft’s brand and Office as a brand-within-brand. They’ve already started out on the wrong foot — mixing styles of art direction, adding fonts and icons, and generally making assumptions. Software, like any other product, should not assume anything about the customer, but instead should be versatile, transparent, and barely noticable.

I don’t think I’ll post an actual product review because Ars Technica pretty much covered everything with their excellent review the other day. If you’re interested in MS Office, read theirs in addition, but take into account my first impressions.

// a tale of brands & branding, computers & gadgets, design, design: packaging
// Comments Off