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Intro
For this project I created a new design for the Google search tool. I followed the theme "If I could invent something." My invention is binoculars that help people see outside the box and beyond the stars.
Description
I started my project by looking up older winners of the Doodle for Google competition and became inspired by the unique concepts. That's when I decided to use the o's as windows. I sketched a few plans. My first version, which you can see below, has the interior of the o's as a galaxy but the background as a sky to symbolize windows to a world beyond what we typically see. I first image traced, expanded, and ungrouped a picture of the word "Google" in Illustrator. Then I deleted the empty white space of the image and copied each letter into Photoshop. Then I placed a sky background and galaxy image behind the letters. I used the eraser tool to confine the galaxy to the interior of the o's. Then I utilized emboss on the blending option window to create a texture on the word Google. However, after the end of class, I realized I didn't really like my plan.
Instead, I decided to display my idea of a "window" by using the o's as binoculars. I sketched a few more thumbnails for incorporating space and binoculars, which you can see to the right. I decided to make stars in Illustrator. I used the pencil tool to draw a star colored the Google colors: red, green, and blue. Then I used the pencil tool again to draw little marks in the stars to give it character, which I colored a lighter shade than the main base of the star. Afterwards I scattered the stars to retain the silhouette of the letters "g," "l," and "e." I added slanted lines between the stars to emphasize the letter, using Gestalt's principal of grouping smaller shapes to make a whole image. I grouped the lines and stars, then copied pasted them into Photoshop. To create the "G" and "o's" I used the pen, shape, and line tools in Illustrator. I kept the colors the same as those in the word "Google," but I made the "G" yellow since it was resembling the moon, and both "o's" red since they are part of the same binocular. Afterwards I rearranged all the letters in Photoshop, I added an outer glow since they are supposed to be shinning like stars in the night sky. Then I added a navy background with a canvas texture. I used the different blend options to combine the two backgrounds. Then I used the eraser tool to fade the image of the word "Google" into a white background as if it would to be placed on the Google homepage. The last objects I added were stars. I used the main base of the stars I created in Illustrator, but colored them yellow. When I added them in Photoshop, I added a texture in the blending options. Finally, I completed my Google Doodle!
Reflection
This project was a lot of fun! When I was in middle school, I submitted a Doodle for Google, so this project was like a throw back for me. The hardest part was coming up with a unique idea and using the different blending options without my design looking cheesy. However, I enjoyed playing around with the pen tool to create my binoculars. I finally learned how to use the eraser tool. This project is about a 6/10 depending how easy or complicated you make your doodle, but my performance is worth a 10/10!
