The guidelines state that the iconography should be flat and only lightly shaded ... and would bring design unity to Google's icons and logos.

Facebook has given its main “f” logo icon a makeover ... see Tom’s blog for all the examples he’s noticed: Flat design has spread its levelling influence all over the tech industry ...

Simplified, two-dimensional logos replicate better on screens and in miniature as app icons, prompting designers ... "I don't see [flat design] as a new trend," Beckett added.