Today we introduced initial design changes across our different products like Google Maps, Gmail and the search results page. Over the next few months, you’ll continue to see updates to the look of Google Search, where our core principle is to make it as easy as possible for you to find what you’re looking for. Design is an important part of achieving that goal, so we’ll be making changes to simplify our look and make it easier to focus your attention on what’s important on the page.

On the results page, you’ll notice a new gray bar and a blue search button to highlight the search box at the top of the page.

A few other design changes to help you focus finding what you’re searching for include:

• An updated design for the left-hand panel of tools, where we’ve muted the color of the tools and reserved the use of bolder colors to highlight key action buttons, tools and filters.
• The URL relocated directly beneath the headline for each search result.
• Links on the homepage moved to the top and bottom edges of your browser, making the notably clean Google homepage even cleaner.

We will continue to update and improve the design based on feedback from users. The changes rolling out this week are the first steps toward a more focused, simplified look across all Google properties.

Posted by Jon Wiley, User Experience Designer