 |
 |
|
Since 1998, the Google search engine has provided internet users with
a fast and simple way to search for information on the web. In 2005, it boasted an index of more than 8 billion URLs.
The illustrations and cartoons that adorn Google's logo on holidays and special events have developed cult-like status
among web users. Programmer Dennis Hwang has been responsible for creating these holiday versions of the company's
logo since 2000, when he joined Google as an assistant webmaster for a college-internship. "One of my managers knew
I was studying art, and they said I should give it a shot. Since then, I've been doing it solo," he explained in a
2002 interview with the Korean Herald. "Mostly the art is in the letters," said Hwang. "I like to have a design
that interacts with letters. . . . I've always tried to expand the idea of what the logo can be and play with
the material of the logo and the space around it." Many of Hwang's illustrations, such as this image of Ray Charles
in celebration of his birthday on September 23, 2004, represent cultural icons and events by integrating simple
line drawings into the six letters of Google's logo. "Understandably, the 'O' and the 'L' are the easiest to
deal with," remarked Hwang. "The 'O' has become a Halloween pumpkin, a Nobel Prize medal, the Korean flag
symbol and the planet earth. The 'L' has been used as a flagpole, the Olympic flame cauldron or a snow ski.
The first 'G' is the most difficult to deal with, and I don't think the 'E' has gotten much action because
of its location."
Locate the archive of holiday logos on the Google website and review the range of holidays and events Hwang
has covered. What symbols and references has Hwang employed to communicate each holiday? How has he managed
to reduce complex traditions and events into simple drawings? Which of the logos do you find most successful?
Why? Choose two logos and write an essay in which you compare and contrast the effectiveness and compositional
techniques in each.
|
|
|
|
