Melissa Hogenboom, BBC, goes behind the scenes with Google’s doodle team:
They are seen by hundreds of millions of people. Some are put together in a few hours - others, like the Freddie Mercury tribute, take several months to complete. All are created by the handful of “doodlers” who sit in a small office in California.
I love Google doodles. Their importance should not be understated. When your home page is as simple as Google’s, the addition of simple, clever artwork is instrumental in how people view the brand. As mentioned later in the article, the doodles are akin to a beautiful hotel lobby or gorgeous retail packaging.