This is Motorola Mobility’s new logo

Motorola Mobility is making changes to its well-known brand this week, switching to a new, all-lower-case typeface that’s both thinner and softer than the classic bold and italic “MOTOROLA” that has been used for decades. The famous “M” badge persists, though it’ll be presented in colorful new versions. The tagline “a Google company” now appears below the logo as well. The logo first appeared on the site of Techweek, a technology conference Motorola is co-sponsoring in Chicago later this week.

The last time the company tweaked its image was when it split with Motorola Solutions, moving from a monochrome “M” to a bright red one — by all appearances, that’s now being sidelined for a gentler image that dovetails better with parent company Google. The move comes at a key moment in Motorola’s history: the American-made X Phone is coming later this year, a major multi-carrier flagship device and likely the first Moto hardware to be released with significant input from Mountain View.