Briefly Technical

April 29, 2010

Google’s Doodles

You’ve probably noticed, but not likely given much thought to, the transformative nature of Google’s logo, i.e. The logo is often altered to reflect current events, holidays, etc. But doesn’t that break th cardinal rule of branding and corporate identity: choose a logo, then do NOT change it.

An interesting piece on CBS News Sunday Morning, got me thinking: is there a substantial advantage to keeping a logo totally static, or is a dynamic logo more effective?

Traditional wisdom says that if a logo is static people can recognize it and will be more likely to purchase goods or services. However, does a dynamic logo cause more conscious thought about a brand and thus create even more brand recognition? Some people might contend that Google can do this because they already have an established brand because of their size, age, and possibly superior product. However, such a contention is likely short-sighted and not well-reasoned as Google made the logo dynamic soon after the company began.

This isn’t to say that a brand can be haphazard with its logo, i.e. when changes are made to a logo they need to be both professional and easy to recognize as intentional.

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