If you have ever used Google to find directions, check email, locate your house in a satellite photo, or simply perform an Internet search, you have more than likely seen a Google Doodle. And you probably liked it.
They are the fun, little illustrations that replace Google’s logo on special occasions. The costumes the logo wears remind us to buy flowers for our loved ones on Valentines day, teach us about cultural events we may not already know about, and help get us in the spirit for things like the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Sometimes funny, sometimes sentimental, they typically catch us off guard and give us an unexpected smile as we cruise the Internet.
Google employs a team of designers to conceptualize these doodles and also accepts Doodle submissions so everyone can have a chance to create one.
So, what makes Google Doodles so great?
Well, aside from being fun, inspiring, and surprising as a recent CNN interview with Google Doodle web designer Michael Lopez suggests, its also a fresh way to update Google’s extremely simple homepage—something that is harder than it might seem at first glance.
Think about it this way: Google is the gateway to the endless, loud, and chaotic Internet monster. Google’s homepage was designed with this in mind. Rather than add to the noise, it has an extremely minimal design. The simplicity of the design is so extreme in fact, that the homepage only has three elements: a colorful, iconic logo (the design of which, good and/or bad, is topic for another discussion), a search bar, and a massive amount of white space. This allows Google to be a calm, but positive breather before you dive into the bottomless whirlpool of information.
And yet, while this approach is quite successful, these three elements can also be a little limiting when it comes to accurately representing a brand personality and staying fresh and relevant in the climate of an ever changing Internet. Google needed something else to visually carry the brand. Something that could speak to who they are, yet also be organic enough to mold to anything the world throws their way. Enter the Google Doodle.
What was initially a quirky holiday illustration is now becoming a vital tool in communicating Google’s brand personality. Visually, it gives Google endless possibilities in a technology market that has just that–endless possibilities. It enables Google to keep the pace and stay relevant in the world that is never static. And it does all of this in a way that celebrates the Google brand in a strategic and successful way.
