Meet the Google Doodle Draftsman

Ryan Germick, Google Doodle creator whose work we often enjoy
on Google's main page. (The Telegraph)

As a child, Ryan Germick is very fond of drawing. However, unlike other children, "I never stopped," said the 35-year-old man.

Germick's penchant pays off, leading to a career that combines art with code-filled technology and left-brain dominance.

Lovers of the work of Germick have also increased, from only their parents and four siblings, to millions of people who visit Google's main page. Yes, Germick is an illustrator of Google Doodle.

As the main drawer, he leads a team of about a dozen people, serving as the creative and technical force behind Google's fickle logo, known as "doodle", on the main page of the search site.

For Germick, the road from the art world to the technological world full of twists and turns. "I do not have a clear path to Google," he said. "I never thought I'd do a Doodle."

Utilizing the power of the internet

Google is the first - and only - company - the one he applied for. It was in 2006, he was recruited as a web graphic specialist, says Germick.

Must See: Get Marlene Dietrich So Google Doodle Today

"I'm clearly the opposite of the specialists. I'm a generalist and do a lot of icons, "he said. But that period is the beginning of change, when a simple logo image can have an impact on how people use, feel, and talk about the internet.

The most famous Germick icon is Pegman on Google Map, a small yellow figure that appears when you use Google Street View settings on a Google map.

Germick even wore a reddish-orange shirt to appear as Pegman in a silly YouTube video made for a Street View release.

The video is Google's first video viral, watched over 13 million times. Nearly nine years later, Germick was still flinching a bit as he talked about it.

"It was a bad experience. I have learned about the power of the internet, then I learned about the power of commentators on the internet shortly thereafter, "he said.

"You have to take it. You have to do what you do and put on a thick face. "

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