The history of the Google logo

According to an article published on Les Échos in February 2018, Google takes in about $100 billion in revenue every year. That huge figure underlines the internet giant’s hold on the market. Since it was founded, its logo has kept evolving in time and across surfaces. Here is the well-known history of the Google logo.

The Google logo: what is it?

Definition

The Google logo is the distinctive mark used by the largest American search engine: Google. It is a graphic representation of the company and of the search engine. You can see it online across many surfaces. It has had its own typeface from the beginning through today. The different versions were designed by a number of designers, including Ruth Kedar. This graphic representation of Google is also modified regularly: whenever a particular event is celebrated at a national, or even international, scale. The logo modified for that purpose is known as a Google Doodle. Literally, the name means a scribble. The first Google Doodle was created as a tribute to the Burning Man festival (an art gathering held every year in Nevada).

The meaning of the word Google

The word Google refers to a mathematical term. The founding team first thought of googol. That word names a number equal to 10 to the power of 100. The two founders of the company, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, asked computer science students to suggest a few names for their company. One of the students went with googolplex. That is a mathematical term even larger than googol. The two founders then simplified the name to googol. The word also captured the scale and the messy variety of data online. The story of how the word Google appeared comes in three versions:

• The first version talks about a typing error that turned googol into Google.

• The second version says Brin and Page chose a term closer to googol and easier to use: google.

• A third theory suggests Google is a tribute to Lego (plastic brick toys). The colors of the Google letters would then refer to the colors of the bricks.

The steps in creating the Google logo

The creation of Google’s logos unfolds in 4 steps. The design teams of the company meet to work on a new logo. They follow 4 guidelines:

• First, the new logo needs a responsive identity. That means building it so it adapts automatically to the resolution of each user’s screen.

• Next, the new Google logotype must have a living identity so it can interact with the user.

• Then, the new logo must sit well with the brand’s other products.

• Finally, the new Google logo must look elegant and keep pace with how technology is evolving.

As a result, each of the company’s logos shows a dynamic identity that works on every surface and stays consistent with the other Google products.

The history of Google’s logo

From 1997 to 1999

Here is the real history of the Google logo:

• In 1997, Google was still only a research project at Stanford University. That version shows the letters GOOGLE in a rather simplistic 3D.

• In 1998, this university project fortunately grew. The design evolved. Sergey Brin used the open-source image editor GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). This version looks more current and ends with an exclamation point borrowed from the Yahoo! logo.

• In 1999, Google published a new version of its logo. This new logotype dropped the exclamation point and looks more modern. Drawn by Ruth Kedar, this version stayed in place. It is also characterized by a custom Catull typeface.

From 2010 to 2013

After the 1999 version, Google made no visual change for the 10 years that followed. From 2010, though, the need for a new update started to show.

• In 2010, the American company chose a new modification of Ruth Kedar’s logo. It published a fresh logo with brighter colors and softer shading.

• In 2013, the Windows operating system saw a considerable expansion of its software. The OS range brought new designs into the product. Responsive design was also taking hold on the mobile web and on mobile devices. Google, for its part, made only a few minor changes to its 2013 logo. The American firm kept the Catull typeface, and the colors received only slight retouching.

From 2015 to today

Another change to the Google logo was made in 2015. This one ranks among the most substantial. For the first time, the company decided to leave the Catull typeface behind. The American firm chose a new typeface designed specifically for its logo: Product Sans. That type works on every surface. The logo dropped its serifs (the small extensions on characters in serif typefaces). Google also wanted to keep the simple look of the logo and chose a modest but current design. The company will make further changes in the years ahead. Future logos will keep the originality and the simplicity of the American firm.

The characteristics of the Google logo

The symbolism of the colors

The rotation of colors is a constant in the history of the Google logo. Through every redesign, the company kept blue, red, orange-yellow, and green in the mark. The color choices were deliberate. Each one carries a message:

• The blue in the G stands for trust, strength, and reliability.

• The red in the first O and the E conveys youth, boldness, emotion, and excitement.

• The orange in the second O speaks to optimism, warmth, and clarity.

• The green in the L symbolizes serenity, growth, and health.

These colors are primary colors (colors that can create other colors when mixed). Green is the exception, because it is a secondary color. That is how Google underlines its determination to go further and keep a creative spirit. Designer Ruth Kedar explains that this color selection expresses the fact that Google “does not follow any rules.”

The G of Google

The G of Google is the company’s favicon. A favicon is a computer icon that represents a website or a program in the address bar, bookmarks, tabs, and browser shortcuts. The G favicon brings together the 4 signature colors of the logo: blue, green, red, and orange. The company built Material Design (Google’s set of design rules for software interfaces) into its favicon.

It first took the form of a simple blue G. Design evolution then forced the firm to adapt its logo and favicon to new typographic requirements. The G now works in every existing format. This new format has also been the subject of a controversy because of its resemblance to the favicon of Qwant (a French search engine that appeared more recently). Qwant has said it wants to take the matter to court.

Why change the Google logo?

The latest change is an evolution of the company, not a simple logo update. The company says the change recalls Google’s traits: simplicity, clarity, friendliness.

• To adapt to different devices

This change was driven by adapting services to the expectations of connected consumers. The new logo is meant to work on every existing device, including smartphones and tablets. In other words, the change reflects an adaptation to the digital era and an anticipation of what comes next. This new adaptation covers every Google product. Larry Page and Sergey Brin have also said the firm’s visual identity will keep evolving over time.

• For marketing

The operation matters from a strategic marketing point of view. A logo carries a company’s intentions. This regular change shows the firm adapting to how people consume online. The company has said the change reflects the reality of new consumer behavior.

• To avoid the risk of fatigue

According to typography expert David Rault, seeing the same logo for a long time eventually wears on the user. A company can look old just because its logo has not changed in years. That is the case of IBM, still according to the expert. Regularly changing the Google logo gives it a kind of lasting youth. The operation also supports a growing, positive image of the company.