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Microsoft turned to Koto to celebrate 50 years with an identity balancing memory and momentum, bringing back icons like Clippy and the MSN butterfly while pointing boldly forward. So when Microsoft hit this landmark birthday on April 4, the brand understandably wanted to toast the achievement, with celebrations spanning Easter eggs across Microsoft products, a ‘takeover’ of its website, a New York Times Square display, and a brand event.
When Microsoft turned 50, the challenge wasn’t just to mark a milestone but to capture half a century of design evolution without slipping into empty nostalgia. Enter Koto, tasked with creating a campaign identity that celebrates legacy while showing the brand still has cultural relevance today. At its core is a bold “50” mark built from Microsoft’s own design DNA: four familiar Windows-inspired colors and jagged edges that echo the pixelated graphics of the past.
But this wasn’t a museum piece. The campaign mixed retro cues with modern flourishes. Heavy borders recalling early UI design sit alongside frosted glass effects, playful 3D emojis, and dynamic layouts. Iconic characters like Clippy and the MSN butterfly reappear, this time reframed with affection rather than frustration, while nods to Paint, Solitaire, and classic system aesthetics ground the story in lived experience. The result feels less like nostalgia bait and more like a reminder of just how embedded Microsoft has been in everyday life.
As Strategy Director Cassidy Moriarty put it, the goal was to honor legacy without being stuck in it. The work shows how heritage, handled with care, can be a brand asset not a burden. Dive into the full article to see how Koto pulled it off.
