14 DAY TRIAL // Google doesn't need much of an excuse to put on some flashy custom logo for all manner of occasions and celebrations. Valentine's Day couldn't be skipped, but Google kept it simple this time around, no animations, no gizmos, just a plain old jpeg with a link behind it.
Granted, the colors really do pop out and the image should be instantly recognizable for anyone with even the slightest connection to Western pop culture.
The 2011 Valentine's Day Google doodle is a play on the famous pop art sculpture 'Love' by American artist Robert Indiana. In the original sculpture, the four-letter word is split in half with the 'O' tilted at 45 degrees.
The sculpture is predated by a similar image, on which the doodle is actually based, from 1964. The sculpture was created in 1970 and exhibited outside in New York City.
Since then, several versions of the sculpture have popped up around the world, including some in other languages like Hebrew, Chinese, Italian and Spanish. It has been a popular culture icon and has been adapted and transformed by many over the years.
Google used the theme to spell out its name, with the first 'o' replaced by a heart and the second tilted like in the original piece of art. The interesting thing is that the drawing was actually created by the original artist, Robert Indiana.
Clicking on the custom logo will lead to a search for Valentine's Day. The doodle is already live in many countries throughout the Eastern part of the world and in much of Europe. It's not yet available on the main Google.com website, but it should be going live there as well as soon as morning comes in the US.
Last week, Google ran a flashier doodle to celebrate the birthday of popular author Jules Verne. The doodle dedicated to one of his best known books, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, was interactive and built with CSS3. It has a permanent home here.