Hidden Messages in Company Logos You See All the Time
Jan 22, 2022
As consumers, we see company logos daily. If you stop at 7-Eleven, you see its logo as soon as you pull
in. If you make a pit stop at Dunkin’ for coffee, you’ll carry its logo on your coffee cup. Logos are
everywhere, but have you ever stopped and really looked at them? There’s more to them than meets the
eye.
Turns out, many companies have hidden messages in their logos. Companies like Starbucks, Amazon, and
even Goodwill strategically designed their logos to convey subtle messages about things like company
values and products. Logos can also try to subconsciously influence buying behavior, which partially
explains why so many logos are red. Let’s look at the hidden messages in logos you see all the time, and
why they’re there in the first place.
Welcome message from author
Though they're small and relatively simple in design, many company logos are actually pretty complex
when it comes to messaging. If you know how to read between the lines (or within the negative space),
you'll find that everything—even the colors of a font or the placement of an arrow—has an intentional
meaning that relates back to the company's core message.
Transcript
PowerPoint PresentationTime
Overview
As consumers, we see company logos daily. If you stop at 7-Eleven, you see its logo as soon as you pull
in. If you make a pit stop at Dunkin’ for coffee, you’ll carry its logo on your coffee cup. Logos are
everywhere, but have you ever stopped and really looked at them? There’s more to them than meets the
eye.
Turns out, many companies have hidden messages in their logos. Companies like Starbucks, Amazon, and
even Goodwill strategically designed their logos to convey subtle messages about things like company
values and products. Logos can also try to subconsciously influence buying behavior, which partially
explains why so many logos are red. Let’s look at the hidden messages in logos you see all the time, and
why they’re there in the first place.
Wendy's
ruffles of the little girl's collar in the Wendy's logo
is the word "mom." When the hidden word was
first discovered by online users, the prevailing
theory was that the company snuck the word in
there to associate their food with mom's home
cooking. However, Wendy's has said that the word
was unintentional, and any supposed subliminal
message doesn't actually exist (at least not on
purpose).
Beats by Dre
At first glance, the Beats by Dre logo is little more
than a red circle with the letter b inside of it.
However, that red circle is actually also supposed to
represent a human's head, and the b is supposed to
be a pair of Beats headphones over their ears.
Amazon
but have you ever wondered what that little
arrow at the bottom of the logo means? It’s not
just a fun design element—the arrow broadcasts
the wide variety of stuff (from A to Z) sold on
Amazon.
Apple
Why does the tech giant’s iconic logo have a bite
mark on it? Turns out, the reason is pretty
practical. The designer made the bite mark for
scale, so that a smaller logo would still look like
an apple and not a cherry.
FedEx
glance, so it’s easy to miss the hidden message.
Look at the space between the E and the x—it’s
an arrow pointing forward, perhaps to suggest
speedy and accurate delivery.
Dell
The sideways E in the Dell logo is more than just
a creative way to set it apart from other logos.
Michael Dell announced that the goal of his
company was to “turn the world on its ear.” So
it’s been said he started with an E.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a massive source of information, and there’s
a reason their puzzling logo isn’t totally complete. The
unfinished globe, made of puzzle pieces with characters
from various languages, represents the “incomplete
nature” of the company’s mission to be the go-to
information portal—and the fact that a site built on user
submissions can never be complete.
Pinterest
You may think this logo is pretty cut and dry here
with a capital P placed in the middle of a bright red
circle. However, their signature “P” also doubles as
an illustration of a map pin. According to CNBC,
one of the designers of the Pinterest logo didn’t
want to add the visual of an actual pin, but the final
look came together organically.
networking company’s name is plain as day under a
line motif. However, there’s more to this logo than
initially meets the eye. According to Canva, those
blue stripes represent an electromagnet as well as
the Golden Gate Bridge, paying homage to Cisco‘s
namesake San Francisco. Once you see the bridge
in those lines you can’t unsee it!
Roxy
indeed designed to attract its desired
demographic. However, a closer look reveals so
much more. The Roxy heart consists of two
Quiksilver logos rotated to form the shape.
Unilever
the company’s wide range of products, you’d think
we would have looked deeper than only seeing
the letter “U” formed using a decorative motif.
Upon further inspection of the Unilever “U,” the
logo uses symbols related to its extensive product
offerings. That’s a pretty cool way to encapsulate
what the company covers under its vast umbrella.
Adidas
always paid much more attention to the word
“Adidas” than anything else in the logo. Turns out,
those diagonal stripes have meaning: They are
intended to look like a mountain, the type of
mountain an elite athlete would push him or
herself to climb against all odds.
IBM
Initially, we assumed the IBM logo was supposed
to look similar to if it had been run off one of the
world’s primitive computer printers, horizontal
lines and all. Turns out, those horizontal lines
symbolize the equal sign, representing IBM’s
dedication to equality.
slanted style lending itself to the notion of speed.
Those slanted letters are angled that way to give
off a “razor sharp” feeling. The “G” and the “i” in
Gillette have been cut to be symbolic of the
brand’s signature product.
It’s definitely a peacock, but the six feathers have
meaning: They represent the original six divisions of
the network (there are tons more now, but the
logo remains the same). Also, the peacock’s head is
facing right which is meant to symbolize the
network’s nod to the future.
Google
the Google logo]", said Ruth Kedar, the graphic
designer behind the original logo. "We ended up
with the primary colors, but instead of having the
pattern go in order, we put a secondary color on
the L, which brought back the idea that Google
doesn't follow the rules."
opposite directions to represent the entrance
and exit of a subway station, symbolizing that you
can have delicious fast food on the go.
The Bronx Zoo
prominently features two giraffes and a few flying
birds. And for this specific zoo, being located in a
borough of New York City is another huge
identifying factor, so it also makes senses that
hidden between the legs of the giraffes is the
city's iconic skyline.
dips, Tostitos has perhaps one of the best hidden
logo messages of all time. The two lowercase t's in
the logo represent people holding a chip, and the
dot on top of the letter i serves as their bowl of
salsa.
Baskin-Robbins
Robbins serves. (If you don't already know, they
serve 31.) With that in mind, take a look at the B and
R in the center of the company's logo, and you
should see that very number written in pink.
Jack in the Box
Though no one is entirely sure as to why, the
original Jack in the Box logo fused the letters o and
x together to create a fish symbol. (One theory:
they were really into their fish sandwiches at
founding time.)
founded—is often referred to as the City of
Bears. Therefore, when the company created its
logo, it decided to hide the outline of a bear in the
negative space of the Matterhorn Mountain.
LG
the winking face logo of phone company LG.
However, if you look at the logo with a discerning
eye, you'll notice that the company's iconic
winking face is actually compromised of an L
(making up the nose) and a G (making up the
shape of the face).
This fast food chain's slogan is "Eat Mor Chikin,"
so it should come as little surprise that the C in
their logo doubles as—you guessed it—a chicken.
Conclusion
Though they're small and relatively simple in design, many company logos are actually pretty complex
when it comes to messaging. If you know how to read between the lines (or within the negative space),
you'll find that everything—even the colors of a font or the placement of an arrow—has an intentional
meaning that relates back to the company's core message.
Overview
As consumers, we see company logos daily. If you stop at 7-Eleven, you see its logo as soon as you pull
in. If you make a pit stop at Dunkin’ for coffee, you’ll carry its logo on your coffee cup. Logos are
everywhere, but have you ever stopped and really looked at them? There’s more to them than meets the
eye.
Turns out, many companies have hidden messages in their logos. Companies like Starbucks, Amazon, and
even Goodwill strategically designed their logos to convey subtle messages about things like company
values and products. Logos can also try to subconsciously influence buying behavior, which partially
explains why so many logos are red. Let’s look at the hidden messages in logos you see all the time, and
why they’re there in the first place.
Wendy's
ruffles of the little girl's collar in the Wendy's logo
is the word "mom." When the hidden word was
first discovered by online users, the prevailing
theory was that the company snuck the word in
there to associate their food with mom's home
cooking. However, Wendy's has said that the word
was unintentional, and any supposed subliminal
message doesn't actually exist (at least not on
purpose).
Beats by Dre
At first glance, the Beats by Dre logo is little more
than a red circle with the letter b inside of it.
However, that red circle is actually also supposed to
represent a human's head, and the b is supposed to
be a pair of Beats headphones over their ears.
Amazon
but have you ever wondered what that little
arrow at the bottom of the logo means? It’s not
just a fun design element—the arrow broadcasts
the wide variety of stuff (from A to Z) sold on
Amazon.
Apple
Why does the tech giant’s iconic logo have a bite
mark on it? Turns out, the reason is pretty
practical. The designer made the bite mark for
scale, so that a smaller logo would still look like
an apple and not a cherry.
FedEx
glance, so it’s easy to miss the hidden message.
Look at the space between the E and the x—it’s
an arrow pointing forward, perhaps to suggest
speedy and accurate delivery.
Dell
The sideways E in the Dell logo is more than just
a creative way to set it apart from other logos.
Michael Dell announced that the goal of his
company was to “turn the world on its ear.” So
it’s been said he started with an E.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a massive source of information, and there’s
a reason their puzzling logo isn’t totally complete. The
unfinished globe, made of puzzle pieces with characters
from various languages, represents the “incomplete
nature” of the company’s mission to be the go-to
information portal—and the fact that a site built on user
submissions can never be complete.
You may think this logo is pretty cut and dry here
with a capital P placed in the middle of a bright red
circle. However, their signature “P” also doubles as
an illustration of a map pin. According to CNBC,
one of the designers of the Pinterest logo didn’t
want to add the visual of an actual pin, but the final
look came together organically.
networking company’s name is plain as day under a
line motif. However, there’s more to this logo than
initially meets the eye. According to Canva, those
blue stripes represent an electromagnet as well as
the Golden Gate Bridge, paying homage to Cisco‘s
namesake San Francisco. Once you see the bridge
in those lines you can’t unsee it!
Roxy
indeed designed to attract its desired
demographic. However, a closer look reveals so
much more. The Roxy heart consists of two
Quiksilver logos rotated to form the shape.
Unilever
the company’s wide range of products, you’d think
we would have looked deeper than only seeing
the letter “U” formed using a decorative motif.
Upon further inspection of the Unilever “U,” the
logo uses symbols related to its extensive product
offerings. That’s a pretty cool way to encapsulate
what the company covers under its vast umbrella.
Adidas
always paid much more attention to the word
“Adidas” than anything else in the logo. Turns out,
those diagonal stripes have meaning: They are
intended to look like a mountain, the type of
mountain an elite athlete would push him or
herself to climb against all odds.
IBM
Initially, we assumed the IBM logo was supposed
to look similar to if it had been run off one of the
world’s primitive computer printers, horizontal
lines and all. Turns out, those horizontal lines
symbolize the equal sign, representing IBM’s
dedication to equality.
slanted style lending itself to the notion of speed.
Those slanted letters are angled that way to give
off a “razor sharp” feeling. The “G” and the “i” in
Gillette have been cut to be symbolic of the
brand’s signature product.
It’s definitely a peacock, but the six feathers have
meaning: They represent the original six divisions of
the network (there are tons more now, but the
logo remains the same). Also, the peacock’s head is
facing right which is meant to symbolize the
network’s nod to the future.
the Google logo]", said Ruth Kedar, the graphic
designer behind the original logo. "We ended up
with the primary colors, but instead of having the
pattern go in order, we put a secondary color on
the L, which brought back the idea that Google
doesn't follow the rules."
opposite directions to represent the entrance
and exit of a subway station, symbolizing that you
can have delicious fast food on the go.
The Bronx Zoo
prominently features two giraffes and a few flying
birds. And for this specific zoo, being located in a
borough of New York City is another huge
identifying factor, so it also makes senses that
hidden between the legs of the giraffes is the
city's iconic skyline.
dips, Tostitos has perhaps one of the best hidden
logo messages of all time. The two lowercase t's in
the logo represent people holding a chip, and the
dot on top of the letter i serves as their bowl of
salsa.
Baskin-Robbins
Robbins serves. (If you don't already know, they
serve 31.) With that in mind, take a look at the B and
R in the center of the company's logo, and you
should see that very number written in pink.
Jack in the Box
Though no one is entirely sure as to why, the
original Jack in the Box logo fused the letters o and
x together to create a fish symbol. (One theory:
they were really into their fish sandwiches at
founding time.)
founded—is often referred to as the City of
Bears. Therefore, when the company created its
logo, it decided to hide the outline of a bear in the
negative space of the Matterhorn Mountain.
LG
the winking face logo of phone company LG.
However, if you look at the logo with a discerning
eye, you'll notice that the company's iconic
winking face is actually compromised of an L
(making up the nose) and a G (making up the
shape of the face).
This fast food chain's slogan is "Eat Mor Chikin,"
so it should come as little surprise that the C in
their logo doubles as—you guessed it—a chicken.
Conclusion
Though they're small and relatively simple in design, many company logos are actually pretty complex
when it comes to messaging. If you know how to read between the lines (or within the negative space),
you'll find that everything—even the colors of a font or the placement of an arrow—has an intentional
meaning that relates back to the company's core message.
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