From Brazil to Stanford: Kedar’s Path
Ruth Kedar was born on January 27, 1955, in Campinas, a bustling city in São Paulo, Brazil. When she was still a child, her family moved to Israel, a change that would set the stage for her future in design. In Israel she earned a degree in architecture from the Technion‑Israel Institute of Technology, learning how to balance structural rules with creative flair.
After a few years of practice, Kedar felt the pull of the United States. She enrolled in Stanford’s master’s program in design, an environment that encouraged experimentation across art, engineering, and technology. Her thesis—focused on playing‑card design—caught the eye of Adobe Systems, which hired her to help develop a promotional card deck in 1988. The project led to the award‑winning Analog Deck and Duolog Deck, both praised for their clean lines and vivid colors.
From 1988 to 1999 Kedar taught as a visiting professor in Stanford’s art department while also delivering courses to mechanical‑engineering product‑design students. She became known for a teaching style that mixed theory with hands‑on projects, pushing students to think beyond conventional constraints. It was during this period that two graduate students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, walked into her office looking for a fresh visual identity for their fledgling search engine.
Designing the Google Logo
Page and Brin were still in the early stages of turning their research project into a company when a mutual friend suggested they meet Kedar. The friends believed her blend of playful imagination and disciplined design could give the new venture a look that matched its ambitious goals.
In 1998, Kedar sat down with the duo for a series of extensive conversations. They wanted a brand that felt open, approachable, and timeless—something that wouldn’t box them into a single product line. Their vision was clear: a logo that could grow with the company, even as it expanded far beyond search.
Drawing on her architectural background, Kedar treated the logo as a structural element, ensuring each letter had balance and proportion. At the same time, her experience with playing cards inspired her to inject a sense of fun. The result was a multi‑colored, sans‑serif wordmark that felt both modern and personable. The design debuted on May 31, 1999, and would stay on the front page until September 1, 2015.
The Google logo quickly became more than just a name tag. Its simple, playful palette conveyed the company’s mission to make information accessible and enjoyable. Over the years, the logo was tweaked, refined, and eventually redesigned, but the core ideas Kedar introduced—clarity, friendliness, and flexibility—remain at the heart of every iteration.
Beyond Google, Kedar’s career continued to bridge art and technology. She consulted for startups, curated design exhibitions, and remained active in academia, mentoring the next generation of designers who, like her, move fluidly between disciplines.
Today, when you type a query into the search bar, the faint outline of Kedar’s original wordmark lingers in the background, reminding us that a well‑crafted visual identity can become a cultural touchstone. Her story is a testament to how an immigrant’s perspective, a solid grounding in architecture, and an instinct for play can shape the look of one of the most valuable companies on the planet.