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Ian David Marsden — First Google Doodle Artist
In 2000, I became the first official Google Doodle artist. For the initial phase of the programme, from 2000 into 2001, I was the only Google Doodle artist, creating the illustrated homepage variations that helped define what Google Doodles would become.
These early pieces were created at a time when Google’s homepage was still extremely minimal: a white page, a search box, and very little else. The Doodles introduced illustration, humour, seasonal events and short visual narratives directly into that space. What began as a playful experiment became one of the most recognisable recurring visual formats on the web.
The work ranged from one-off holiday images to multi-day narrative sequences, including the MentalPlex April Fool’s project, the Alien Abduction story sequence, the Founding Fathers BBQ July 4 series, and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Kangaroodle series.
This page brings together a selection of those early Google Doodles, with direct links to the official Google archive where available, along with a chronological gallery of the work from that period.
Jump to the Google Doodle Gallery ↓
Historical context
The early Google Doodles were not simply decorative variations of the logo. They established a new way for a technology company to use illustration on a global homepage: informal, human, seasonal, narrative and often playful. They showed that even a highly functional interface could make room for visual culture and character.
For me, they also remain an important part of my wider practice in illustration, character design, brand storytelling and serial visual communication. The same principles still matter today: clarity, recognisability, warmth, and the ability to communicate quickly through image.
MentalPlex (April Fool’s Day 2000)
MentalPlex was published on April 1, 2000 and became the first Google Doodle project I created for Google. Built around the absurd idea of a fictional “telepathic search” interface, it showed that the homepage could support illustration-led humour, not just a static logo treatment. It also set the tone for the playful, idea-driven approach that would define many early Doodles. View the full MentalPlex project.
Alien Abduction Series (May 2000)
This five-part sequence turned the Google logo into a miniature stage. Across several days, the letters are approached, investigated, interfered with and finally released. It is one of the clearest early examples of the Google Doodle becoming a serial visual narrative rather than a single-day image.
Founding Fathers BBQ (July 4, 2000)
This July 4 series develops as a short visual scene staged around the Google logo. It combines celebration, costume, setting and small narrative progression, showing how the early Doodles could function as lightly theatrical illustrations rather than simple holiday badges.
Sydney Olympics Kangaroodle Series (September 2000)
For the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics, I created Kangaroodle, a kangaroo character designed to perform a different Olympic event around the Google logo each day. This series is one of the strongest early examples of a Google Doodle functioning as both mascot design and serial campaign illustration.
New Year’s Eve Celebration (December 2000)
This New Year image closes the year on a quieter note. After a run of event pieces, narratives and holiday variations, it returns to the core strengths of the early Doodles: a simple concept, a friendly image, and a hand-drawn tone that made the homepage feel more human.
