Google Hunting for Fresh Talent with Creative Lab 5

Do you want to work for Google? Oh who are we kidding? Of course you do! Now, how would you like to join a program where you get paid to experiment wildly, creating things in the Google Creative Lab? Now, if you’re thinking something along the lines of, ​“Oh just tell us already!”, here you go: Applications are open. Only five people (known as ​“Fivers”) will get the chance to do this, however. So there’s an application process, and in typical Google style, it is both creative, playful, and kind of ingenious. At creativelabfive​.com you’ll see the Google logo made out of basic geometric shapes. Click on those shapes (they’re vector shapes, and editable), and you’ll get an interface which will allow you to create short, keyframe-based animations: 

If you’ve ever used Flash, you can probably handle this. The purpose of this is to create your own animation out of the preexisting shapes. This animation will act as a sort of ​“cover letter” for your application to the program. When you’re done creating your animation, there’s a simple form to fill out. According to the form, they’re looking for a wide variety of people: designers, developers, filmmakers, animators, writers, and more. It should be noted, however, that if you get in, you’ll have to relocate. You can request to be placed in New York, London, or Sydney. Moreover, you have to be a citizen or permanent resident of the country you’re applying to work in. As for the competition, you have your work cut out for you. First, there’s Austin Baird, who recreated part of the Chicago skyline (click through to see the animation):

Then, there’s Andrew Barlow, who turned the logo into a series of faces, and then, for some reason, a moving car:

Lastly, we have my personal favorite. Andrew Herzog put the Google logo in a browser window… inside another browser window. Presumably, he did this just because he could: 

So, creative people, if you want a shot at working for Google, you should get cracking now. Make some fancy animations, and show them off in the comments. Better yet, show them off to the people at Google.