Sub-brand
Bard becomes Gemini
One AI name across the assistant, models and Workspace.
Technology
A misspelled number that became a verb, then a parent company’s first child.
- Owner
- Alphabet Inc., listed on Nasdaq
- CEO
- Sundar Pichai
- Known for
- Search, YouTube, Android, Gemini
The Brand in Brief
Google’s brand began as a white page with one box, a deliberate contrast to the busy portals of the 1990s. Its playful logo, the Doodles and “Don’t be evil” made a huge company feel light. In 2015 the founders put Google under a new parent, Alphabet, and redrew the logo for screens of every size. Since then Google has folded many product names into its own, from Google Pay to Gemini, and is betting the brand on AI.
Recent Brand Moves
- 2024Bard becomes Gemini
One AI name across the assistant, models and Workspace.
- 2018Google Pay unifies payments
Separate names merge under the master brand.
- 2016Made by Google, Pixel
Google puts its own name on hardware.
- 2015Alphabet is created; new logo
Google becomes one company under a parent, with a sans-serif logo for every screen.
Where it ranks · BTC Observatory · Sep 2026
Each list is ranked on its own; positions in different lists are not comparable.
Turning points
The Decisions that Made the Brand
Sub-brand
Google Pay unifies payments
Separate names merge under the master brand.
2015Name & legal
Alphabet is created; new logo
Google becomes one company under a parent, with a sans-serif logo for every screen.
Positioning
“Don’t be evil” in the IPO letter
A company motto becomes a public promise people will hold it to.
1998Identity
The first Doodle
An out-of-office note for Burning Man starts a tradition of changing the logo.
Timeline
Every Brand Decision
Pichai era2015 to now
Page returns2011 to 2015
Schmidt years2001 to 2011
Founders1998 to 2001
2024
Bard becomes Gemini
One AI name across the assistant, models and Workspace.
2018
Google Pay unifies payments
Separate names merge under the master brand.
2016
Made by Google, Pixel
Google puts its own name on hardware.
2015
Alphabet is created; new logo
Google becomes one company under a parent, with a sans-serif logo for every screen.
2008
Chrome and Android
Google’s name moves from a website onto the browser and the phone.
2006
“Google” enters the dictionary as a verb
Huge awareness, and a trademark risk the company has to manage.
2004
Gmail launches on 1 April
Many thought it was a joke. It made Google a daily habit beyond search.
2004
“Don’t be evil” in the IPO letter
A company motto becomes a public promise people will hold it to.
1999
Ruth Kedar’s logo
Primary colours and a serif face set a friendly tone for a decade.
1998
The first Doodle
An out-of-office note for Burning Man starts a tradition of changing the logo.
1997
BackRub becomes Google
A misspelled “googol” gives the search engine a playful name.
Pichai era2015 to now · 4 moments
Alphabet parent, master brand, AI.
- 2024Bard becomes Gemini
One AI name across the assistant, models and Workspace. - 2018Google Pay unifies payments
Separate names merge under the master brand. - 2016Made by Google, Pixel
Google puts its own name on hardware. - 2015Alphabet is created; new logo
Google becomes one company under a parent, with a sans-serif logo for every screen.
Schmidt years2001 to 2011 · 4 moments
Growth, IPO, Gmail, Android, Chrome.
- 2008Chrome and Android
Google’s name moves from a website onto the browser and the phone. - 2006“Google” enters the dictionary as a verb
Huge awareness, and a trademark risk the company has to manage. - 2004Gmail launches on 1 April
Many thought it was a joke. It made Google a daily habit beyond search. - 2004“Don’t be evil” in the IPO letter
A company motto becomes a public promise people will hold it to.
Founders1998 to 2001 · 3 moments
One box on a white page.
- 1999Ruth Kedar’s logo
Primary colours and a serif face set a friendly tone for a decade. - 1998The first Doodle
An out-of-office note for Burning Man starts a tradition of changing the logo. - 1997BackRub becomes Google
A misspelled “googol” gives the search engine a playful name.
Moves like this
The Same Decision, Other Brands
Name & identity
How It Got Its Name and Its Look
The Name
Page and Brin first called their search engine BackRub. They renamed it after “googol”, the number one followed by a hundred zeros, and the spelling Google stuck when the domain was registered in 1997.
What the Name DidThe name hinted at scale without sounding corporate. It became so common as a verb that Google had to defend it as a trademark.
Logo
1998Early logo with exclamation mark- 1999Serif logo by Ruth Kedar
- 2015Sans-serif logo, current
Colour
- NowBlue, red, yellow, blue, green, red
- 1999Primary colours with a secondary green to break the pattern
Words & Type
Don’t be evil.
2004I’m Feeling Lucky.
1998
- Google Sans family2023
- Product Sans for the logo2015
- Catull-based serif logo1999
Ownership & architecture
Who Owns It, and How Its Brands Fit Together
Owned byGoogle LLC
ThroughAlphabet Inc. (since 2015)
ThroughListed on Nasdaq; founders control voting shares
GoogleMaster brandBrands it owns
YouTubebought 2006- Wazebought 2013
- DeepMindbought 2014
Fitbitbought 2021
Run in the region by
- UAEGoogle’s Middle East office in Dubai
Products
- Search
- Android
- Chrome
- Pixel
- Gemini
- Maps
Services
- Gmail
- Google Cloud
- Google Pay
- Google One
Retired names
- Google+
- Stadia
- Bard
How the names are built · Master brand
2018 onward“Google ___” for services; Gemini for AI
2008 to 2015Strong separate names: Android, Chrome, Gmail
Alphabet also owns non-Google businesses such as Waymo and Verily.
Leadership
Who Leads It, and Who Shaped It
SP
Sundar PichaiCEO of Google and Alphabet
JH
John HennessyChair of Alphabet
Chief Executives
2015 to now
Sundar PichaiAlphabet structure, master brand, AI-first
2011 to 2015
Larry PageCut products, Google+, created Alphabet
2001 to 2011
Eric SchmidtIPO, Gmail, Android, Chrome
1998 to 2001
Larry PageOne box on a white page
Brand Builders
MM
Marissa MayerSearch products and design, 1999 to 2012
Guarded the empty home page.
RK
Ruth KedarDesigner, 1999
Drew the logo used for a decade.
DH
Dennis HwangDoodle artist from 2000
Made the Doodle a regular habit.
LT
Lorraine TwohillHead of global marketing
Built Google’s emotional campaigns such as Reunion.
Campaigns
The Work that Carried the Brand
Trademarks
Naming Fights
2017US appeals court rules “google” is still a trademark, not a generic word.
Did you know?
Less Known Facts
Design1999
The first home page was so empty that testers waited for the rest to load. A copyright line was added to show it had finished.
Identity1998
The first Doodle was an out-of-office note: the founders had gone to Burning Man.
Culture2009
Google once hired goats to mow the grass at its headquarters.
Founding1999
Google was nearly sold to Excite in 1999 for under $1 million.
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Compiled by the BrandTheChange editors from company records, filings, archives and press. Suggest a correction · Image credits