Google's annual Year in Search reflects on the year’s biggest trends and moments. In 2023, Google Search turned 25. We wanted to mark the occasion by celebrating our users and what they love most. So we created our most epic (and possibly nostalgic) Year in Search to date – taking people back in time to relive top trending moments from the past quarter century and activating fandoms all over the world.

BRIEF

How can we create a deeper emotional connection with our millions of users worldwide, with a particular emphasis on Gen Z? (The generation which has grown up with Google, but is most at risk of utilizing it less.)

STRATEGY

We started with data from the Trends team. We sorted and ranked trillions of searches from a quarter century of search data in every language to uncover a list of the most searched people, figures and movements from around the world across a wide variety of categories, from arts and music to sports and world history.

Role

Art Director, Graphic Designer

Details

Integrated Campaign, Design, Storyboarding

Team

Google Brand Studio

Date

August-December 2023

FILM

Our long-form film was the foundation of the campaign, bringing all of these data points together in a truly global story. We celebrated 25 years’ worth of progress, spanning iconic figures, influential subcultures, and historic moments that moved us all. Creating this film meant crafting a cohesive, emotional narrative out of a quarter century’s worth of data and events, and striking a balance between celebrating iconic figures and everyday people.


MY ROLE

I partnered closely with a copywriter to ideate and concept the film in the early stages, develop narrative directions, and source imagery that could shape our story. Once our broader team gathered the full archive of clips and content, myself and other designers storyboarded the long-form film and designed visual transitions, working with motion designers to ensure the final piece flowed cohesively, felt emotionally grounded, and avoided repetition across 25 years of material.


SOCIAL

On social, we harnessed the power of fandom by creating content fueled by what millions of people searched for most - from pizza to BTS to Cristiano Ronaldo and more. One of the biggest challenges was identifying the most passionate fandoms and ensuring the creative authentically represented the vernacular, aesthetics, and lore of each following. Through a combination of social listening, custom community management and collab posts, we were able to connect with these groups authentically.

MY ROLE

My responsibilities for social mirrored my work on the long-form film—ideating with a copywriter, sourcing assets, and shaping narrative directions—but required an additional layer of precision. I edited and refined captions to reflect the unique language, humor, and lore of each fandom, and ensured that visuals, motion cues, and layouts aligned with platform norms. I collaborated with motion designers to execute variations of the creative tailored to specific communities while maintaining cohesion across the entire campaign.
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