Google Maps is the web mapping and navigation platform developed by Google, launched publicly in February 2005. Its visual identity has evolved through several distinct phases, from a realistic map pin to the current gradient-based icon, with each redesign reflecting broader changes in Google’s product design language.
Design and History
Google Maps launched in 2005, and its key visual symbol from the very beginning was the red location pin [1]. The service’s early iconography centered on this pin, which became the foundation for later logo iterations.
In 2015, Google updated the Maps app icon to feature a map design incorporating the company’s “G” symbol alongside a pin [2]. This icon used Google’s four brand colors (blue, red, yellow, green) arranged to simulate a small map with a location pin [3].
To mark Google Maps’ 15th anniversary in February 2020, Google introduced a new app icon that removed the “G” lettering entirely and placed the pin icon alone at center stage [2]. The new icon featured the pin rendered in Google’s four brand colors arranged in stripes that mimic the intersections of streets or roads from the earlier design [4]. Google stated that the new icon “represents the shift we’ve made from getting you to your destination to also helping you discover new places and experiences” [2]. The redesign was part of a broader app overhaul announced in a blog post by Dane Glasgow, Vice President of Product at Google Maps [5].
In 2025 and 2026, Google began rolling out a further icon update for Google Maps on Android and iOS. The new icon retains the recognizable pin shape but introduces a unified gradient treatment of the four brand colors, replacing the previous diagonal color partitions [6]. The central circle appears larger while the pin’s point is softened, and the design aligns with the gradient aesthetic first introduced with Google’s core “G” logo refresh [7]. This visual change is part of Google’s broader effort to present a cohesive ecosystem of products for its AI-first era [8].
Separately, in mid-2025, Google updated the wordmark that appears in the bottom-left corner of the map interface. Previously a four-color “Google” logo, it became “Google Maps” in black or white text depending on the system or device theme, with “Google” rendered thicker than “Maps” [9].
Meaning and Symbolism
The pin has been a key part of Google Maps since the service’s inception [1]. Google has described the pin as representing the platform’s evolution from simply getting people to their destination to also helping them discover new places and experiences [1].
The 2020 icon arranged Google’s four brand colors in stripes that evoke the intersections of streets or roads, a visual reference to the map imagery of the previous design [4]. The newer gradient treatment aligns with Google’s stated visual identity for its AI era, which the company’s design team described as communicating a transition toward intelligent software through a more organic and harmonious color flow [8].
Typography and Design
The 2025 in-map wordmark uses “Google Maps” in black or white text depending on the system or device theme, with “Google” set thicker than “Maps,” consistent with other first-party Google product logos [9]. The app icon itself functions as a standalone mark without accompanying wordmark text.
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