Overheard in the BEAR studio: Google Doodles
Google Doodle to celebrate Valentine’s Day from Google and Robert Indiana
When was the last time you doodled? That is, without intention, purely for fun, just to let your mind run for a few minutes.
It’s been a while, right?
That’s what we discovered when we got chatting about it in the studio this week.
This article from Design Week about the wonders of Google Doodle (as well as the first ever multiplayer Google Doodle launched this week for Halloween) started us thinking about the growing importance of illustration and animation for a brand’s toolkit.
The growth of illustration in branding
The use of illustration has grown considerably in the branding field over the past few years and we’re drawn to the fact that it provides a great opportunity and engage with customers on a different level. By exaggerating an idea or emotion, it ignites the imagination, making your message even more powerful. Illustration and moving image are also increasingly being used within content creation, adding extra dimensions to a brand’s identity.
As Google Doodle art director Matt Cruickshank argues in his Design Week interview, animation is one of the most powerful mediums in the world for introducing movement to a concept. As an animator, he might be a little biased – but it’s also something we’re always considering at BEAR.
TheMusicLicence from BEAR on Vimeo.
How we use it at BEAR
Earlier this year we used animation to bring TheMusicLicence brand to life: TheMusicLicence was the customer facing product of PPL PRS. Whilst the identity was born out of the joy of music and experiencing music (hands in the air) we wanted to create and animation that would help explain this to customers in an exciting and toe tapping way. Read more about the project here.
As well as TheMusicLicence, we’ve also worked with illustrators and animators on Foxtons and PPL PRS.
Aside from providing a few minutes of distraction (and education) for users across the world, the Google Doodle is also a great way to showcase a living and breathing brand. We love what Matt says about Google Doodle’s first accidental beginnings as a pseudo Out Of Office alert for users, to let people know the team were away at Burning Man Festival in 1998.
As Matt says:
“It showed that there was a human behind the logo, and was a reminder that it’s a company full of people. It sums up the irreverence of the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and their willingness to try things.”
That resonated with us – it’s an easy thing to forget week to week, but that human element should actually be something we’re rejoicing in.
As to be expected in any studio chat – talk also turned to our favourite illustrators and animators we’ve seen, which include Malika Favre, Bendik Kaltenborn, Espen Friberg, Guy Field, Blinkkink, Parabella, Noma Bar and Animade.
Google Doodle to celebrate the Studio for Electronic Music
For the love of animation
What do we love about using the medium? The fact it breathes life and soul into a brand and adds another dimension from copy – you can tell stories with illustration that just aren’t possible with words alone – giving campaigns a life of their own via visual storytelling.
And just as we’ve seen with Google Doodle – once you start experimenting with that format, it’s limitless. A playable Pac Man game within a logo? Or spinning turntables that actually play a chosen record and that you can physically scratch? Yes please!
The world’s a better place from Google Doodles. Spend five minutes doodling today and see where it takes you.
Looking to discuss your creative requirements? Check out our case studies and drop us a message on info@bearlondon.com to find out more about our services.