Google’s new – Google says it will roll out a new icon design across Google Workspace apps, aiming for “consistency and cohesion.” But the update has quickly turned into a meme playground on X—complete with users pitching everything from Doc Martens for Docs to a leather rac
When Google started preparing a fresh visual look for its most-used apps, it probably expected a few design discussions. It didn’t expect the internet to turn the icons into a joking opportunity—complete with shoes, bed sheets, and race jackets—then pull the CEO into the mix.
Google said Tuesday that the company’s app icons for Google Workspace—spanning Gmail. Docs. Sheets. Slides. and more—will get a visual redesign over the next several weeks. The stated goal is “consistency and cohesion” across the workspace apps. Within hours, the new direction was being mocked, reimagined, and stretched into everyday objects.
On X, users posted meme-ready takes on what the icons could mean. Some went literal. People shared design pitches that used Doc Martens to represent Google Docs, bed sheets to stand in for Sheets, and sandals for Slides. The joke wasn’t subtle: one X user wrote, “Google could be doing so much more.”
The posts escalated when one concept caught CEO Sundar Pichai’s attention. X user Trung Phan captioned an image showing shorts. sandals. and bed sheets. writing. “Google is sitting on a massive clothing and home textiles opportunity.” Pichai replied with two thinking emojis. a tiny response that set off a new wave of ideas.
After that, more hypothetical “Google clothing” iterations followed. One example included a leather racing jacket for Google Drive. Another X user said, “I’m a fan of this trend.” Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the background. the icon meme wave also lands in a broader story of how even small brand changes can produce big customer reactions. Last year. Cracker Barrel tried to modernize its logo. and the shift “bombed with customers. ” drawing a response that wasn’t playful in the way the Google icon debates have been.
For now, the icons may be mostly jokes on social media—but Google’s own product ambitions are not. The company has experimented with wearables. and it plans to launch AI-powered glasses later this year through collaborations with eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. Those glasses are expected to compete with Meta’s Ray-Bans.
Google’s redesign is meant to make the app icons distinctive, and the memes are doing the rest—making sure they get noticed while the rollout moves forward over the coming weeks.
Google Workspace app icons Sundar Pichai Gmail Docs Sheets Slides memes X Trung Phan branding AI glasses Gentle Monster Warby Parker Ray-Bans Alphabet