Dropbox thinks outside the … we can't go there, not when a box becomes a 'collection of surfaces'

'Pairing colours, type and imagery' is the new creativity, apparently

Logowatch LogoWatch's formative computing experiences included using multiple fonts – nearly always Kawasaki and Chicago – sometimes with different shadings, in Aldus PageMaker on early Macs' nine-inch screens.

This column mention that experience because Dropbox has contacted LogoWatch with news of a “new design system … communicated visually by pairing contrasting colours, type and imagery.” Just like I once did in PageMaker.

The system “juxtaposes colours in bold, unexpected ways, and changes based on the situation.”

It also uses Dropbox's new logo, depicted above (or here for m.reg readers), which we're told “has evolved from a literal box to a collection of surfaces to illustrate Dropbox is an open platform and a place for creation.” The company reckons it has outgrown its old logo's connotations of the service as “a great place to store stuff”.

Of course there's a new typeface, too. “Sharp Grotesk” apparently “allows for versatility” and lets the company “'speak' in a variety of tones.” Just like PageMaker.

This is all about Dropbox adding collaboration features to take it beyond being a mere file locker to a service that can take on the likes of Office 365 and G-Suite, both of which have very fine sync 'n' share capabilities. Hence Dropbox pledging to engage artists who will “create visual metaphors for collaboration” that will dot its site in coming weeks.

If you want more of this nonsense, there's a "brand anthem" video explaining it all. Watch it if you must, although this vid of PageMaker could well be more fun. ®