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The unknown artist whose work is seen by millions WITH MILLIONS of hits a week, search engine Google`s landing page is a familiar sight to most Internet users. And most people notice when the Google logo has been `dressed up` for a special occasion, such as Halloween, the World Cup or the Olympic Games.

What many people don`t know is that a 28-year-old called Dennis Hwang is the talent behind the fun adaptations of Google`s famous logo.

US-born but Korean-raised Hwang has been manipulating the Google name since he began his internship at the company in 2000. Hwang says: "Before I joined Google, the founders and Sergey Brin were already thinking about holiday logos...and when I joined, one of my managers knew I was studying art, and they suggested I give it a shot. Since then, I`ve been doing it solo and my career has gone from strength to strength!"

He now heads the Google team of Web masters, devoting around 20% of his time to designing seasonal Google logos. Google states that his work is achieving cult status.

Noting that the Google `O`s and `L` lend themselves most easily to artistic liberties, Hwang has added Santas, shamrocks, Halloween pumpkins, Valentine`s hearts, sporting events and even the work of famous artists to the logo over the years. This has not always been well received. Representatives of at least one artist have asked for the doodle inspired by the artist to be removed, citing copyright violation. On the other hand, his work has even inspired contests for school children to create their own "Google art".

Tags: Knowledge