History of Google logo in Timeline

The Google logo has evolved over time to represent the search engine company. The initial logo was created by Sergey Brin using GIMP. Ruth Kedar designed a subsequent logo used from 1999 to 2015 (with slight modifications), featuring a wordmark based on the Catull font, a serif typeface by Gustav Jaeger. In September 2015, Google introduced a revised logo, marking a significant design change.

1997: Larry Page Created Computerized Google Letters

In 1997, Larry Page created a computerized version of the Google letters using GIMP, a free graphics program. The typeface was changed, and an exclamation mark was added, mimicking the Yahoo! logo.

1998: First Google Doodle

In 1998, the first Google Doodle was created in honor of the Burning Man Festival. It was designed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin to notify users of their absence if the servers crashed.

May 1999: New Favicon Debuted

In May 1999, Google's favicon was a blue, uppercase "G" on a white background with a border that had a red, blue, and a green side. It debuted alongside Google's then-new logo design.

May 1999: Ruth Kedar Developed the Now-Famous Logo

In May 1999, graphic designer Ruth Kedar developed the now-famous Google logo, choosing primary colors but placing a secondary color on the 'L' to signify that Google doesn't follow the rules. The Catull font was used.

2000: Dennis Hwang Designed a Logo for Bastille Day

In 2000, Larry and Sergey asked then-intern Dennis Hwang to design a logo for Bastille Day.

May 29, 2008: Favicon From May 1999 Discontinued

Google's favicon from May 1999, a blue, uppercase "G" on a white background, was discontinued on May 29, 2008.

May 30, 2008: New Favicon Launched

On May 30, 2008, Google launched a new favicon, showing a lowercase "g" from Google, colored in blue against a white background.

June 2008: Google Launched a Contest

In June 2008, Google launched a contest to receive favicon submissions.

January 9, 2009: New Favicon Launched

On January 9, 2009, Google launched a new favicon featuring a left-aligned white "g" with background areas colored in red, green, blue, and yellow. It was based on a design by André Resende.

November 8, 2009: New Google Logo Previewed

On November 8, 2009, Google previewed a new logo, which would be officially launched on May 6, 2010.

April 2010: Colorless Logo Used After Smolensk Air Disaster

In April 2010, a colorless version of the Google logo was first used on the Google Poland homepage following the Smolensk air disaster that killed, among others, Polish president Lech Kaczyński.

May 6, 2010: Google Logo Overhaul Launched

On May 6, 2010, Google officially launched its first major logo overhaul since May 31, 1999. The new logo used an identical typeface to the previous logo, but the 'o' was distinctly more orange-colored and had a more subtle shadow.

September 7, 2010: Keystroke Logo Introduced

On September 7, 2010, Google introduced a colorless logo called the "Keystroke Logo", which lit up with the standard Google colors as the first 6 letters of a search query were entered.

August 13, 2012: New Favicon Launched

On August 13, 2012, Google launched a new favicon that showed the small letter "g" in white, centered on a solid light blue background.

September 19, 2013: Google Introduced a New Flat Logo

On September 19, 2013, Google introduced a new "flat" (two-dimensional) logo with a slightly altered color palette.

May 24, 2014: Google Logo Updated with Typographical Tweaks

On May 24, 2014, the Google logo was slightly updated with some minor typographical tweaks, with the second 'g' moved right one pixel and the 'l' moved down and right one pixel.

August 31, 2015: Favicon Update

On August 31, 2015, the favicon used from August 13, 2012, to August 31, 2015, showed the small letter "g" in white, centered on a solid light blue background.

September 1, 2015: Revised Google Logo Debuted

On September 1, 2015, Google debuted a revised logo.

September 1, 2015: New Favicon Launched with New Logo Design

On September 1, 2015, a new favicon was launched in conjunction with the new Google logo design that day, showing a capital letter "G" in the tailor-made font for the new logo, with segments colored red, yellow, green, and blue.