Microsoft has changed its logo for the first time in 25 years. And it’s about time - since 1987, the Redmond, Washington-based company has used the same bold, italicised - and, if we’re being honest, clunky - logo to represent its corporate brand.

But the new, slicker logo features a lighter, grey typeface and a streamlined version of the multi-coloured square associated with its Windows products. The updated look is already live on the microsoft.com home page, and is expected to get its official launch at the opening of Microsoft’s 23rd store in Boston, Massachusetts today. Its Seattle and Bellevue, Washington stores will also get the new branding treatment, the Seattle Times has reported.

The redesigned logo was created to "signal the heritage but also signal the future - a newness and freshness," said Microsoft's general manager of brand strategy Jeff Hansen told the newspaper.

That’s no understatement - Microsoft’s future is precariously perched on the line between success and failure as the company prepares to launch a new range of products ahead of the holiday season. Its Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 operating systems, as well as its own Surface tablet PC, will be released this autumn.

The new logo design appears to go hand-in-hand with the branding of those products as well. First looks at Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity tools feature a similarly clean, modern aesthetic, reflecting the tech giant’s attempt to rebrand itself in the midst of a rapidly changing consumer landscape.