Google’s 27th Birthday Today: Rare Doodle Revives First-Ever Logo and Untold Stories Behind the World’s Biggest Search Engine

Google Doodle Celebrates 27 Years with a Throwback Logo

On September 27, 2025, users opening Google Search were greeted by a special Google Doodle featuring the original 1998 logo. The design brings back memories of the company’s early days, when its playful yet simple identity was still taking shape. By showcasing this early version of its branding, Google is highlighting its humble beginnings as much as its global influence today.

The first-ever Google Doodle itself appeared in 1998, when co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin placed a stick figure behind the second “o” in Google to let users know they were attending the Burning Man festival. That playful tradition has since grown into a core part of the company’s identity, with thousands of Doodles created over the years.

Google Founding Date and the Confusion Around It

While Google’s 27th birthday today is celebrated on September 27, official records show the company was incorporated on September 4, 1998. Over time, Google settled on September 27 as its symbolic birthday, tying the date to milestones in search engine indexing and public presence.

This mix of dates has often sparked debate among users and historians, but Google’s annual Doodle celebrations have solidified September 27 as the birthday recognized worldwide.

Timeline of Key Google Dates

Larry Page and Sergey Brin: The Visionaries Behind the Project

The story of Google’s rise begins with Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford PhD students who created a search engine originally known as BackRub. Their goal was to rank web pages based on backlinks, a method that proved far more effective than existing search tools.

The name “Google” emerged as a play on the mathematical term googol (10¹⁰⁰), symbolizing the founders’ ambition to organize massive amounts of information. From the garage where it began, the company expanded rapidly, shaping the internet era.

Ruth Kedar and the Story of the Original Logo

The special logo featured in today’s Doodle was designed by Ruth Kedar, a Brazilian-born graphic designer and Stanford professor. She worked closely with Page and Brin to create a logo that balanced academic seriousness with a playful spirit.

Her design used the Catull typeface, primary colors, and a distinctive green “l,” setting Google apart visually from its competitors. Kedar’s work gave Google its instantly recognizable identity and has influenced every redesign that followed.

Elements of Ruth Kedar’s Original Logo

• Typeface: Catull, chosen for elegance and clarity

• Colors: Primary palette with one letter breaking pattern (green “l”)

• Style: Clean and minimalist, yet approachable

• Legacy: Basis for modern Google branding

History of Google Logo and Its Evolution

Over 27 years, the Google logo has gone through multiple transformations while retaining its colorful simplicity. Starting from Kedar’s 1998 design, the company has modernized its font, adopted a sans-serif style, and refined color tones to fit digital screens.

The logo evolution reflects Google’s philosophy of adapting to technological change while staying recognizable. Today’s Doodle is a reminder of how far the brand has come since its earliest sketch.

Major Logo Changes Over the Years

Why Google’s 27th Birthday Today Matters

For billions of people, Google has become more than just a search engine. It powers email, navigation, cloud storage, Android, YouTube, and now leads in artificial intelligence. Marking Google’s 27th birthday today is not just about nostalgia, but also about recognizing its role in shaping how the world accesses information.

Google’s Doodle message sums it up best: “Thank you for searching with us throughout the years.” As the company looks forward to its AI-driven future, this anniversary reminds users where it all began—with a simple idea, a playful logo, and two students determined to organize the world’s knowledge.