Google and Its Logos

Google knows everything and everyone knows Google. The tech giant that once was only a search engine has truly come a long way and become the best that it could. Not only is it a billion dollar company today but checks all the right boxes in terms of employment prospects, gender diversity, innovation and leadership.

But many of us take for granted the amount of effort Google puts in its logos. While many enjoy the festivities that it brings with its custom logos on specific dates, Google puts in great effort into its logo design.

The Beginning

In 1998, Larry Page started Google and gave everyone the first look at a Google Logo. The logo did not look professional really but that was a time where visuals were rarely ever important. Plus, the little choice that was available did not permit a good logo to be created. It was all googly and colorful in the beginning.

Figure 1: Wikipedia

But a year later, the graphics improved significantly and we were given this beautiful design that would become the foundation for years to come.

Figure 2: Wikipedia

The Exclamation Mark!

At that time, another very popular website on the internet was Yahoo. Yahoo was another search engine at the time that was fairly popular. Their logo had an exclamation mark at the end of their logo that gave it a sort of exciting touch. So, Google decided, why not try it with their logo too. So, they did. At the same time, they shuffled around with their color combination. The color combination at that time is the one that is still in use today. This is what it looked like:

Figure 3: Wikipedia

Making it Simpler

Soon enough though, Google realized that their logo was a little too much. They decided less is more and tried to bring down the 3D effect as well as the shadows while removing the exclamation mark entirely. This is what the next two logos looked like:

Figure 4: Wikipedia

Figure 5: Wikipedia

Flattening it out

But once they set out on a path to make it simper, they didn’t stop. They decided to go with the trend (or perhaps begin it) of using flat logos. The next two logos were completely simple with basic colors yet were as striking as they could get:

Figure 6: Wikipedia

Figure 7: Wikipedia

Final Word

You see, one of the most successful organizations around the world didn’t really start with the most impressive of logos. But they made it better with time. So, if you decide to buy logo, remember to change it over time to make it better. But not too much otherwise your customers may forget who you really are.