12 Famous Logos With Hidden Message

Logos, as you all know, play are a major part of branding. A good logo can help the masses associate and identify your product or service. This is precisely why logos go through vigorous designing and redesigning stages to communicate the brand they’re representing well.

Whether you’re cruising down the aisles of the grocery store or speeding down the freeway, you’re guaranteed to come across a few famous logos. Take one glance at any one of these logos and you instantly recognize the brand, but did you know there’s sometimes a hidden message buried in them? It’s surprising but true.

Below we’ll review 12 clever logos that have hidden symbolism you may haven’t noticed before. Some are subtle, others are obvious, but all of them are interesting to examine. Enjoy!

1. Amazon

The giant online store aptly takes on the name Amazon to convey it’s wide store directory. This is further hinted by the arrow linking the ‘A’ to ‘Z’ to say that they have everything from ‘A’ to ‘Z’. Which should be able to satisfy you, hence the dual meaning of the arrow being a smile.

2. FedEx

The shipping company’s logo seem like a simple one with only its name. However if you take a second look at the space between the ‘E’ and the ‘X’, you would notice an arrow. With it so perfectly placed there, it is no wonder that the arrow represents speed and precision.

3. NBC

NBC was once known as the Peacock Network when the bird was first used as its logo in 1956. The peacock has now evolved to this with its 6 colored tail representing the departments; News, Sports, Entertainment, Stations, Networks, and Productions.

4. Toblerone

Chocolate again! Toblerone’s logo is a lot more complex than Hershey’s. Look closely at the mountain and you’ll be able to spot a bear. The reason for this is because the Swiss chocolate company originated from the city of Bern, Switzerland which is also known as the City of Bears.

5. Spartan Golf Club

Like most logos on this list, this one tries to represent its name. And it does it well by representing 2 things. It first features a golfer swinging his club. With the use of negative space, it secondly features a side profile of a Spartan warrior.

6. Nintendo Gamecube

I’m sure anyone will agree that this is a good logo with its clever cube-ception game going on. But it’s about to get even more clever. If you look at it this way, the blue lines also form the letter ‘G’ and the black space in between forms the letter ‘C’. And what do they represent? That’s right, Gamecube.

7. The Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo can be found in New York City. Naturally being a zoo, they would use animals (in this case giraffes and birds) in their logo design. But wait, take a second look at the giraffes’ legs and you’ll see New York’s city line artfully included through the space between the legs.

8. Pittsburgh Zoo

American zoos sure love using negative spaces in their designs. And they do it beautifully, as demonstrated by the Pittsburgh Zoo in Pennsylvania. In case you don’t see it, there are a gorilla and a lion staring at each other from the sides of the tree.

9. Northwest Airlines

This used to be Northwest Airlines’ logo before it was retired in 2003. Simply put, the logo is well-designed by making use of negative space to both convey ‘N’ and ‘W’ at the same time. The triangle placed in the ring also suggest the image of a compass, with the triangle pointing in the northwest direction.

10. Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins, owned by Dunkin’ Brands, is the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, best known for its 31 flavors. The company’s pink and blue logo depicts a large “BR” that doubles as the number “31.” Carol Austin, VP of marketing for Baskin-Robbins, told CNBC that the logo is “meant to convey the fun and energy of the Baskin-Robbins brand” as well as the iconic 31. “The 31 stands for our belief that our guests should have the opportunity to explore a fun, new ice cream flavor every day of the month,” Austin explained. The logo was introduced in 2005 as part of an entire brand refresh.

11. Tostitos

The logo for tortilla chips and dips manufacturer Tostitos, owned byPepsiCo, is a prime example of “once you’ve seen it, you can’t un-see it.” Initially, the logo appears to be the Tostitos name in front of a vibrantly colored background. However, the two “T’s” of this logo make up people, as they dip a tortilla chip into the bowl of salsa on top of the letter ‘I’.

12. Toyota

This car manufacturer’s logo certainly encompasses more than meets the eye. Toyota said that the three overlapping ovals on American vehicles “symbolize the unification of the hearts of our customers and the heart of Toyota products. The background space represents Toyota’s technological advancement and the boundless opportunities ahead.” And possibly even more impressive, if you look even closer at the overlapping ovals, you’ll see the word “Toyota” spelled out.

 How many of these sneaky messages would you have spotted without the help?

P.S. If you want to laugh a little bit, make sure to check out 15 Funny Logo Design Fails as well!