The famous and recognizable Google logo symbolizes the number 10 followed by a hundred zeros, expressing the immense power of the system and emphasizing its connection through the original name. It is simple and understandable, with a user-friendly interface, reflecting Google’s modern identity.
Google: Brand overview
Meaning and History
Ruth Kedar, an artist and part-time professor at Leland Stanford Junior University, where Google’s founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page studied, significantly contributed to logo development. However, it was based on an existing color design concept. It simply gave the colorful inscription a new shape, with its merit being a successful interpretation of the emblem.
What is Google?
It is an American corporation of an international level, a digital giant with many programs and useful tools that help navigate comfortably in the virtual space. She specializes in Internet search engines, cloud computing, innovative programs, and advertising technologies. The company was founded in 1998 by software entrepreneurs Edward Page and Sergey Brin.
1995 – 1997
The first logo reflects Google’s old name, BackRub. It was dedicated to the popular practice of obtaining backlinks to increase website traffic. The word was written in bold red with serifs, vaguely reminiscent of Impart Family and PF Fusion Sans Pro Black. The background featured a hand touching a flat surface, which looked like a bare back in the full version.
1997 – 1998
Two years later, BackRub was renamed Google, reflected in its logo. The new name is derived from the mathematical term googol, meaning the number ten followed by a hundred zeros. The rebranding resulted in a logo with multicolored bouncing letters. The inscription was flattened and looked funny, but it could become iconic. It was used in the beta version when Google was only a pilot project for Stanford University students.
1998
Google was registered in 1998, and the same year, a new logo was created using Baskerville Bold font. The designers revised the color palette, coloring the letters in green (“G” and “l”), red (first “o” and “e”), yellow (second “o”), and blue (lowercase “g”). Rumors suggest this logo was modeled in GIMP. The question of its creator remains open: some sources claim Sergey Brin, while others attribute it to Larry Page.
1998 – 1999
The first emblem, adopted in September 1998, was short-lived. In October, it was replaced with a modernized version featuring a blue uppercase “G” and an exclamation mark at the end. Gradient transitions and shadows became more pronounced, giving the letters a three-dimensional look. The exclamation mark was likely intended to make Google’s logo resemble Yahoo!’s, as they competed in everything, including corporate style.
1999 – 2013
From May 1999 to September 2013, a simplified emblem with two-dimensional letters and without the punctuation mark “!” was used. Designers chose the new Catull BQ font, created in 1982 by artist Gustav Jaeger for Berthold Type Foundry. The font featured slanted letter elements and fancy serifs stylized to look antique.
1999 – 2010
In May 1999, another logo appeared – this time with a 3D design- and was used as Google’s official symbol until May 2010. It was developed by Ruth Kedar, whom Sergey Brin and Larry Page met through a mutual friend. She proposed several options with Adobe Garamond and Catull fonts, a magnifying glass, intertwined “o” letters, and an intricate multi-component form. However, the company owners chose a minimalist option, closer to the original.
2010 – 2013
In 2010, the design proposed by Ruth Kedar was revised. The font remained the same; only the details changed. Pronounced shadows disappeared, the gradient’s intensity was reduced, and the yellow “o” acquired an orange hue.
2013 – 2015
The next logo update occurred in October 2013. Developers made the inscription two-dimensional and adjusted the serif shapes to be less sharp. The brand name was intended to harmonize with recently introduced Google services and match the Material Design style.
2015 – today
In 2015, the company introduced a simplified logo. Serifs disappeared, and shades became more saturated. This version was developed by a team of graphic artists who collaborated for a week.
Font and Colors
Google has a mini-emblem in the uppercase letter “G,” consisting of several color segments: blue, green, yellow, and red. The rainbow letter is used as an icon for the voice search service, a favicon for web resources, and an icon for the mobile application.
Before 2015, the logo contained various modifications to the Catull font. After the final redesign, a new font, Product Sans, was introduced. The letter “e” has a slanted line symbolizing the company’s unconventional nature. The inscription’s color is not uniform, striking: letters are painted in bright shades of red, green, blue, and yellow, contrasting each other and firmly associated with Google products.