Relevance is the Key to Google's Logo Success
Another day, and another designer commissioned to revamp the Google logo. The latest one is dedicated to Jules Verne, French science fiction writer, which went live in celebration of his 183rd birthday.
The logo is a world away from the typical Google logo that’s so instantly recognisable across the globe. The theme is decidedly ‘underwater’, in homage to his famous story ’20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’. But how does Google get away with shifting its logo on such a regular basis without alienating searchers and confusing people?
Is it because the brand is so strong? That’s certainly a factor. It's also fun! But whenever Google perform one of their image swaps, they make a point of going back to the original design. It’s always just a bit of fun for a day or two, not sweeping changes that are going to startle the community and confuse people about the future direction of the search giant.
We pointed out how radical Gawker Media’s web development strategy was yesterday, and we’d like to highlight this as exactly the opposite way to do it. Google keep things fresh and relevant. Jules Verne is a cultural icon, someone that fits into what Google feel is their overall philanthropic philosophy. They’re tickling people’s interest and telling people why – not changing their whole layout or design and expecting people to get used to it.
When search marketing yourself, make sure you use a degree of common sense before you look to make changes to your business structure. What’s the context of it? Is it a large-scale redesign? Then let your core visitors know long in advance, so as they can get used to the idea. Or is it a bit of fun for a day or two, as in Google’s example? It’s still crucial to keep them updated – explain why in a light-hearted blog post. Context is key when you’re running an online business.
