Here's Google's new logo

The makeover has a practical motivation. This kind of lettering is easier to read when shrunk down, as Google products increasingly are on mobile devices and wearables.

The new branding replaces the last Google logo, which the company has used since September 2013.

"We've taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices," said Google's Tamar Yehoshua and Bobby Nath in a blog post announcing the change.

In addition to the new static logo, Google created an animated set of four dots that show up when a Google product is processing. Google also unveiled a new multicolored "G" logo for places where the whole company name won't fit.

The logo was created earlier this year during a one-week collaboration between various Google designers. They wanted to create a smaller version of the Google logo for tiny screens, add some movement and have a consistent look across Google products, according to a detailed post about the redesign.

"The Google logo has always had a simple, friendly and approachable style. We wanted to retain these qualities by combining the mathematical purity of geometric forms with the childlike simplicity of schoolbook letter printing," said the post.

Google should brace itself for strong reactions. Many big companies have struggled with rebrandings. Gap (GPS), Coke (CCE) and Hershey (HSY) are just a few of the brands that switched back to their classic logos after negative receptions.

"It's just a disaster," said Ina Saltz, a typography expert and professor at CCNY. "It looks childish, it looks unsophisticated, it looks like play dough."