Withholding information from your customers is bad for business. But some beg to differ, at least, when it comes to the brand’s logo, and cleverly hides messages in their emblems.
These companies are famous not just for their products and services, but also for the logo they chose to represent them. How many of these have sneaked past you?
Toyota
via Slashgear
Toyota took a long time to create its logo: five years. That is a long time to make three ovals. Surely, there has to be something in it if it took them that long to make. And, indeed, Toyota’s ovals are well thought out. The two perpendicular ovals inside the larger one represent the intersection of Toyota’s and its customers’ hearts signifying a mutually-beneficial relationship. You’ll notice those hearts when you look closely at the emblem, but you probably won’t see this right away:
via Logoflair
Toblerone
Toblerone Bars by WestportWiki (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Although not true, it was commonly believed that the Swiss Alps’ Matterhorn was the inspiration for the distinct shape of Toblerone chocolates, which took the mountain for its logo. What’s for certain, however, is there’s something else in Toblerone’s depiction of the Matterhorn if you look closely. A bear. The brand, after all, originated from Bern–the City of Bears.
By Kyle Jones (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), via Flickr
BMW
BMW by Ivan Turkouski (CC BY 2.0), via Flikr
There’s a misconception as to what the BMW roundel stands for and even a BMW spokesman got confused. Some still think the blue and white BMW logo is a propeller set on the blue sky reminiscent of the company’s early days in aviation. The association to a propeller started after a 1929 advertisement featured the logo with an aircraft. But the logo was already created and trademarked years earlier in 1917. So, what does it really mean?
Like in Toblerone, the logo of the BMW, acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works) is rooted in its place of origin. BMW adopted the colors of the Bavarian Free State’s flag, but since they cannot use a national symbol on commercial products, BMW put the colors in opposing order.
VAIO
VAIO’s logo doesn’t fall short of amazing, especially for the geeky people out there. It seems pretty straightforward save for what looks like artsy font. As it turns out, the “font” was deliberate and not just for aesthetics. The v and a are made to look like sine waves of analog signals and the io are binary’s 1 and 0 used in digital computing. VAIO (Visual Audio Intelligence Organizer) tips its hat to the history and evolution of analog and digital technologies, both of which are used in converting information like video and audio, into electric signals. Further, VAIO sounds like ‘bio’ meaning life, and for product designer Teiyuu Goto, it is symbolic of how VAIO will continue to evolve.
FedEX
Another seemingly straightforward logo which actually hides a message is that of FedEx. It was well-hidden that when Landor Associates, a brand consultancy, first presented what is to become the FedEx logo to a group of FedEx senior executives, only CEO Fred Smith (apart from the global brand manager who saw it prior to that meeting) caught it. What’s the message? An arrow.
Logo designer Lindon Leader had to tweak two fonts, practically making a new one, to make the negative space between ‘E’ and ‘x’ look like an arrow signifying forward movement, speed, and precision. The subtlety of the message made it more compelling while the minimalist design made the brand recognizable and the logo award-winning.
Presbyterian Church
While technically not a provider of tangible goods and services as the rest are, we can’t pass up putting on this list the Presbyterian Church of USA’s logo, a Celtic cross with fires on the sides. There are as many Easter eggs on this logo—all important symbolisms in the Christian faith—as the hidden messages from the rest of the article combined.
How good are your eyes? See if you can find the following: dove, fish, Scripture (an open book/Bible), pulpit, chalice, and the trinity (implied triangle).
Facebook Places
Facebook Places is the social networking giant’s version of Foursquare, a local search and discovery app. As it happens, the logo of Places seem to have the number four on the square. Was it a nod or a dig to its competitor, who knows? It might as well be unintentional.
But whether intentional or just coincidence, Facebook Places, like the rest, will always be among the famous companies made even famous by their logos.
Notice any other logo with a message sneaked in? Share your findings in the comments below.
