Google+ Gets a Major Overhaul (UPDATE)

Everyone’s talking about it. Google went ahead and updated their design for Google+. Mashable’s talking about it. The Verge is talking about it.

Here’s a video outlining the new design features.

One thing you’ll want to jump on, though: MASTHEAD IMAGES. The size has expanded to an optimal size of 900 x 506 pixels. Google will help adjust images of different sizes to fit the specs, but these dimensions should look the best.

WARNING: If you don’t update this, you might end up with a big black space covering the top two-thirds of your masthead. That’s no good for business. Normally, we tell everyone to check everything on multiple devices, but as of now, the masthead is only relevant on a browser.

Oh, and if you’re updating your masthead, now’s a good time to check. Is it consistent with other marketing materials (business cards, menus, fliers, signage, etc.). Branding is about emotion, but consistency plays a big role—you want people to feel those positive, associated feelings about you EVERYWHERE they encounter you. Google+ should be no different.

Google’s turning over all their cards yesterday, though. Paste has coverage of their press announcement. Evidently, Google is now ready to compete with Spotify and Pandora in the streaming music service. Google Play will launch a music service running $7.99 or $9.99 per month, depending on when you sign up.

It’s ambitious. However, we’re disappointed. Google’s success has been in corralling information overload into something manageable. A press release announcing Google’s solution for managing all of our media consumption (Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon, etc.) would have got us more excited. We have clients to manage, a Daft Punk album to stream, and unfortunately, not much time left over to explore another music streaming service.