Google Gets Ballsy With Its Latest Logo

It looks like we’re not the only ones doing some crazy things with our logo tonight. Google’s latest logo doodle is currently setting the web on fire — or driving people insane, depending on what you read.

Sure, it’s nothing new for Google to change its logo, but today’s variation is particularly interesting because it’s in motion. Dozens of dots or balls makes up the standard blue, red, yellow, and green logo today. When you first load up Google.com, these dots are scattered all over the place but quickly fall into the Google logo. But when you move your mouse anywhere near this logo, the dots freak out and jump all over the page.

The posting about the logo on Hacker News states that it’s using an HTML/JavaScript particle simulator. Further, one comment notes that “the particles are divs styled with border-radius and position:absolute.”

A few other interesting notes:

  • If you move the browser window around, the balls also move. These movements are based on the direction you move the window.
  • If you have a custom background installed on your Google homepage, you’ll see a blue-red-yellow-green grid of dots next to the Google logo — clicking on this will take you to the regular white Google homepage where you’ll see the dots in action.
  • When you click back to the Google.com after being away, the dots recognize that.

A number of people are noting they can’t see the logo, so you should try visiting the U.S. or British versions of Google to see it.

Sean Percival also made the video below of the logo in action.

As for what the logo means, that’s still is up in the air. Some think it’s a way for Google to show you if your browser is out of date. Others think it’s some sort of birthday logo (Google was incorporated on September 4, 1998, but their exact birthday varies).