Notably the Google app icons commit the same sin that many multi-colored designs make in that they don't prefer any part of the color wheel over other parts in a particular symbol which makes all the symbols look effectively grey. I think of Scott McCloud's critique of the use of color in Stan Lee-era Marvel Comics and how actually the mid-2000s black and white reprints of those comics were great and affordable and showed that the color didn't contribute much.
In the case of the Google icons though they look terrible in monochrome too because the use of color might fool you into thinking there is contrast between visual elements in the icons except... look at it in monochrome and you see there isn't much.
https://mastodon.social/@UP8/110417985807049704
Notably the Google app icons commit the same sin that many multi-colored designs make in that they don't prefer any part of the color wheel over other parts in a particular symbol which makes all the symbols look effectively grey. I think of Scott McCloud's critique of the use of color in Stan Lee-era Marvel Comics and how actually the mid-2000s black and white reprints of those comics were great and affordable and showed that the color didn't contribute much.
In the case of the Google icons though they look terrible in monochrome too because the use of color might fool you into thinking there is contrast between visual elements in the icons except... look at it in monochrome and you see there isn't much.