August 1999–present

Google has had several logos since its renaming from "BackRub". The current official Google logo was designed by Ruth Kedar, and is a logotype based on the Catull typeface [1]. The company also includes various modifications and/or humorous features, such as cartoon modifications, of their logo for use on holidays, birthdays of famous people, and major events, such as the Olympics. These special logos, designed by Dennis Hwang, have become known as Google Doodles.

Contents

History of the Google logo

Google in 1998, showing the original logo

In 1998 Sergey Brin created a computerized version of the Google letters using the free graphics program GIMP after teaching himself how to use it. The exclamation mark was added, mimicking the Yahoo! logo.[2]

Google Doodle

The first Google Doodle was a reference to the Burning Man Festival of 1998. The doodle was designed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin to notify users of their absence in case the servers crashed. Subsequent Google Doodles were designed by an outside contractor, until Larry and Sergey asked then-intern Dennis Hwang to design a logo for Bastille Day in 2000. Hwang has been designing the Google Doodles ever since. [3]

Clicking on a Google Doodle links to a string of Google search results about the topic, which can drive a lot of traffic to unsuspecting sites.[4]

Google doodles have been produced for the birthdays of several noted artists and scientists, including Andy Warhol, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Louis Braille, Percival Lowell, Edvard Munch, Béla Bartók and René Magritte among others. Additionally, the featuring of Lowell's logo design coincided with the launch of another Google product, Google Maps. Welsh novelist Roald Dahl has been featured, with the logo containing characters and items from some of his books, such as Matilda. The celebration of historical events is another common topic of Google Doodles including a Lego brick design in celebration of the interlocking Lego block's 50th anniversary. The logo is also notorious among web users for April Fool's Day tie-ins and jokes.

On February 14, 2007, Valentine's Day, the Google doodle featured a chocolate-dipped strawberry that combined the second "g" and the "l" as its green stem,[5] giving the appearance that the "l" was missing: thereby displaying "Googe". In response to several speculations the Official Google Blog,[6] responded: "When you look at the logo, you may worry that we forgot our name overnight, skipped a letter, or have decided that 'Googe' has a better ring to it. None of the above. I just know that those with true romance and poetry in their soul will see the subtlety immediately. And if you're feeling grouchy today, may I suggest eating a strawberry."

Google was criticized in 2007 for not featuring versions of the Google logo for American patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day.[7] That year, Google featured a logo commemorating Veterans Day.[8]

Doodle4Google competitions

Google holds a Doodle4Google[9] competition for students aged between 5 and 16 to create their own Google doodle. Winning doodles go onto the Doodle4Google website, where the public can vote for the winner, who wins a trip to the Googleplex and the hosting of the winning doodle for 24 hours on the Google website. The competition originated in the United Kingdom, and now also exists in the United States. A Diego Rivera-style logo won the contest.

Favicon

Google's favicon is a version of the lowercase "g" from its official logo, introduced in 2008. The new favicon is part of a larger set of icons developed for better scalability on mobile devices.[10]

References

  1. ^ Identifont - Catull BQ
  2. ^ Vise, David; Mark Malseed (November 2005). The Google Story. New York: Bantam Dell. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-553-80457-7. 
  3. ^ Hwang, Dennis. "Oodles of Doodles." Google (corporate blog). June 8, 2004. Retrieved on July 19, 2006.
  4. ^ Williams, David E. "Google's unknown artist has huge following." CNN. July 19, 2006. Retrieved on July 19, 2006.
  5. ^ Google logos Valentine's Day logo. February 14, 2007. Retrieved on April 6, 2007.
  6. ^ Official Google Blog Strawberries are red, stems are green.
  7. ^ Tweaks send Google critics into orbit (By Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer)October 9, 2007
  8. ^ More Google: Holiday Logos
  9. ^ [Doodle4Google Page http://www.google.com/doodle4google/]
  10. ^ Official Google Blog: "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_logo"


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