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Microsoft hires designer who suggested whole new look

A designer who came up with a way to completely overhaul Microsoft's look has been snapped up by the company's Xbox division.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

How do you get a job at Microsoft? If you follow Andrew Kim, you propose a whole new design language, including new logos and new branding to work across all the company's divisions. Then you sit back and wait for the phone to ring.

Last summer Kim dedicated three days to overhauling how Microsoft presented itself to the world. The result -- The Next Microsoft -- gained him plenty of coverage for its boldness and plain-speaking. Now Microsoft has been in touch, and has offered Kim a job. And he's chuffed to bits.

Plenty of other companies offered Kim roles too, he says on his blog, but it was all about Microsoft.

"But when it came time to make my final decision, I wanted to work at a place I can really get excited about," Kim wrote. "Working at a company is like getting married, it becomes a fundamental part of your life. I want to work with awesome people on awesome projects that I can get excited about. If you've been watching Microsoft over the past year, it's been exciting, regardless of what your ecosystem preference is."

He'll be working for the big M from the summer, in the Xbox division. And he promises to "make my greatest work ever while I'm there."

The last 12 months have certainly been eventful for Microsoft. It's launched its new desktop and tablet OS Windows 8, though reports have said sales have been disappointing. And it's launched Windows Phone 8 too, spearheaded by the likes of the Nokia Lumia 920. There's no word on what Kim's involvement will be with Xbox, but here's hoping more of his ideas are implemented throughout the company.

What do you think of how Microsoft comes across? Should it overhaul its entire look, or does its latest logo do the job? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.