Doodle 4 Google

The History of Google Doodles Design

Google Doodles are the modified versions of Google logo used specially for holidays, birthdays of famous people and major events. The Burning Man Festival of 1998 witnessed the birth of the first Google doodle, since then, we would have a little extra surprise besides chocolates and roses on Valentines Day, or a big turkey meal on Thanks Giving day when visited Google.

The designer of these little something has always been Dennis Hwang. Designing a Google doodle is not an easy task. It has to be creative, easy to understand and at the same time maintain its Google style. They are not just logos, they are pieces of art. Check out the doodles for those holidays and see what has changed along the years and how Hwangs playing with the details.

Doodle History
Over the years, doodles on the Google homepage have made searching on Google more fun and enjoyable for its users worldwide. When doodles were first created, nobody had anticipated how popular and integral they would become to the Google search experience. Nowadays, many users excitedly anticipate the release of each new doodle and some even collect them!

Doodles are known as the decorative changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists and scientists. Whether it is the beginning of Spring, Albert Einstein's birthday, or the 50th anniversary of understanding DNA, the doodle team never fails to find artistic ways to celebrate these unique events. Having a little bit of fun with the corporate logo by redesigning it from time to time is unheard of at many companies but at Google, it is a part of the brand. While the doodle is primarily a fun way for the company to recognize events and notable people, it also illustrates the creative and innovative personality of the company itself. How did the idea for doodles originate? In 1998, the concept of the doodle was born when Google founders Larry and Sergey played with the corporate logo to indicate their attendance at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. A stick figure drawing was placed behind the 2nd "o" in the word, Google and the revised logo was intended as a comical message to Google users that the founders were out of office. While the first doodle was relatively simple, the idea of decorating the company logo to celebrate notable events was well received by our users. A year later in 2000, Larry and Sergey asked current webmaster Dennis Hwang, an intern at the time, to produce a doodle for Bastille Day. Pleased with the result, Dennis was then appointed Googles chief doodler and doodles became a regular occurrence on the Google homepage. In the beginning, the doodles tended to celebrate largely visible holidays; nowadays, doodles represent a wide array of events and anniversaries from the Winter Games to the Mars Rover landing. Over time, the demand for doodles quickly rose both in the U.S. and internationally. Creating doodles is now the responsibility of a team of talented designers. For them, creating doodles has become a team effort to enliven the Google homepage and bring smiles to a myriad of Google users worldwide. How many doodles has Google done over the years? The doodle team has created over 300 doodles for Google.com in the United States and over 700 have been designed internationally. Who chooses what doodles will be created and how do you decide which events will receive doodles? A group of Googlers regularly get together to decide the events and holidays that will receive doodles. The ideas for the doodles themselves are gathered from numerous sources including Googlers and the general public. The doodle selection process aims to celebrate interesting events and anniversaries that reflect Google's personality and love for innovation. We are aware that the list of doodles is not exhaustive, but we try to select doodles that show creativity and innovation. Who designs the doodles? There is a team of designers that are behind the doodles you see on Google.com. How can Google users/the public submit ideas for doodles? The doodle team is open to user ideas; requests for doodles can be sent to [email protected]. The team receives numerous requests so even if we do not get back to you about your request, please know that we do look at and consider all the requests that are submitted. I love Google and have designed my own doodle. Where can I submit my fan logo?

You can submit your fan logos to [email protected]. Where can I see all the Google doodles that have been done over the years? All doodles can be found at www.google.com/logos.

Original Doodler
From last year's contest

Google doodles, the drawings that are designed on, around and through the Google logo on our home page, have long been part of Google's history. As a Google intern in 2000, Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang began celebrating and marking worldwide events and holidays with doodles. Since then, the work of the doodle team has been seen by millions and reached cult status, with fans waiting with bated breath to see the next creation on the Google homepage. We spoke to Dennis about doodles and how he got a job that combined his two passions: technology and art. Most people have to choose only one of their interests to pursue. How did you get such a cool job that meshes computers and art? "I had an internship with Google in college. I was given the task of helping with websites creation, and I soon became an assistant webmaster. Before I joined Google, the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were already thinking about holiday logosand when I joined, they knew I was studying art and suggested I should give it a shot. While being Google Webmaster is my main job, I've been doing doodles since then as a part-time project." Is the doodle team constantly trying to keep up with current events and holidays? "How far we work in advance depends. Sometimes, we react really quickly to current events. Some logos are created in less than 24 hours, such as the Mars Rover landing doodle. For different countries across the globe, if there's a special day and we think it's in line with the Google brand, we want to commemorate it." Do you get suggestions from Google users? "We get quite a lot of suggestions from users. We're really open to user feedback and having ideas sent to us because our users are really creative. For example, a French astronomer had emailed us about the Venus Transit, in which Venus casts a shadow on the sun every 122 years. During the transit, you'll see a black dot moves across the sun, so here is the logo we did." How do you decide on the design of the drawings? "First, we do a lot of brainstorming, search for images on Google, and absorb all the research. Then we apply a design that interacts with shape of the letters. I find that a bit more interesting." Do you have favorite doodles?

"I have several personal favorites. Usually, artists' birthdays are the ones I spend the most effort on, like Magritte's birthday." How difficult is it to reinvent recurring holidays? "It's definitely a challenge, but it's one we look forward to. We're constantly looking for ways to be innovative with fresh ideas every year. There's only so many ways to draw a turkey or a pumpkin!"

Dennis' Top Ten Tips

1. Make sure your design complements the shape of the letters in the Google logo, but don't let that restrict your creativity. 2. Experiment with different media to see which one works best for your design (you can even create your doodle on your PC). 3. Don't over-complicate your design simpler images often have the most impact. 4. Remember that your design could end up on the Google homepage, so imagine how it will look on screen. 5. Remember to use color well and think about how it interacts with a white background. 6. Avoid commercial or copyrighted images. 7. Think outside the box try to create a doodle that's different from your classmates and hasn't been done before. 8. Feel free to use the space behind and in front of the Google letters, but try to maintain your design's overall balance. 9. Have fun! "Doodle 4 Google" is all about creativity and enjoying designing fun things. Think about how you want to change the world.

Sample Doodles
To help spark your imagination, we've put together a few favorite doodles created by Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang, whose designs celebrate worldwide events and holidays by incorporating images into and around the Google logo. We hope these designs will help you create your own doodle, but remember: creativity is key. Your doodle should be as unique as you are.

Australia Day

 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Earth Day

Leonardo da Vincis birthday

50th anniversary of discovery of DNA structure

Vincent van Goghs birthday

 Albert Einsteins birthday

Cricket World Cup, 2007

FIFA World Cup, 2006

Louis Brailles birthday

St Patricks Day

 Michelangelos birthday

Pablo Picassos birthday

Valentines Day

Claude Monets birthday

Andy Warhols birthday