Designed by graphic designer Ruth Kedar, the Google Logo has become a global icon. In 1999, the now-predominant search engine began surprising visitors with an occasional variation of their logo.

These variations – now called Google Doodles – mark special occasions such as events in world history, famous birthdays, and holidays. As a rule there is no rule for what or when these Doodles will appear. As an added feature, clicking on the Google Doodles will take you to a results page based on the current Doodle theme.

Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang designs most of the current Doodles, although famous contributors have also been represented, as well as winners of special logo design contests. Charities and special campaigns routinely approach Google with their own ideas, most of which are rejected.

Google has received criticism from the usual suspects, mostly conservatives who seem to hate any free speech that isn’t approved by them. Charles Darwin’s birthday nod was blasted for being anti-creationism, while not changing their logo for Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day elicited hysterical cries of anti-Americanism. (Listen up, you wee-brains: You may be loud, but you are few. The Google Doodles are just for fun, so get off your high horses and relax. Better yet, just try to use the Internet without Google.)

Visit Google Holiday Logos to see Google’s own online logo museum.

The Google Logo
Charles Darwin's Birthday	Father's Day 2009
Winter Holidays	Google's 8th Birthday
Earth Day	Saint Patrick's Day
Valentine's Day 2008	Saint George's Day, UK
da Vinci's Birthday	van Gogh's Birthday
50 Years Since Discovery of DNA	Halloween
Louis Braille's Birthday	Cricket World Cup, 2007

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