PRIZEPOOL
You see these logos every day, on your phone, in the supermarket and on the street. But many of them hide a small detail, a double meaning or a bit of history that most people never notice. Here are 18 of our favourites.
Hidden in plain sight
1. FedEx: the arrow between the letters
Look at the white space between the E and the x. It forms a perfect arrow pointing right. Once you see it you can't unsee it, and it quietly says what the company does: moving forward, fast.
2. Amazon: from A to Z, with a smile
The orange swoosh under the word starts at the a and ends at the z. It tells you Amazon sells everything from A to Z, and it doubles as a smile, with the arrowhead as a dimple.
3. Baskin-Robbins: the number 31
The pink parts of the "BR" monogram spell out 31, a nod to the brand's famous promise of 31 flavours, one for every day of the month.
4. Tour de France: a cyclist in the letters
The R in "Tour" is a rider bent over the handlebars, the O is the back wheel and the yellow circle is the front wheel. It's one of the cleverest sports logos ever made.
5. Pinterest: a P that's also a pin
The tail of the P is shaped like the point of a pushpin, the same pin you'd use on a real noticeboard. That's exactly what the app is: a digital pinboard.
6. Formula 1: the hidden number
The current F1 logo shows a black F next to red speed lines. The empty space between them forms the number 1.
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Faces and people you didn't notice
7. Goodwill: a smiling g
The lowercase g in the Goodwill logo is also half of a smiling face. The same shape is used in the wordmark, so the smile appears twice.
8. Beats: a head wearing headphones
The red circle with a b inside looks like a person's head seen from the side, with the circle as a pair of headphones.
9. LG: a winking face
The L is the nose, the G is the outline of the face and the small red dot is an eye. Tilt your head and you'll see the face winking at you.
10. Hyundai: a handshake
The slanted H isn't just the first letter of the name. Hyundai describes it as two people shaking hands: the company and its customer.
Clever letters and numbers
11. Toyota: every letter of the name
The three overlapping ovals are said to contain every letter of the word TOYOTA. Try tracing them: the T, the O, the Y and the A are all there.
12. Sony VAIO: analog meets digital
The VA is drawn like an analog wave, and the IO looks like the binary digits 1 and 0. Together they tell the story of moving from analog to digital.
13. Mitsubishi: three diamonds
The name explains the logo. In Japanese, mitsu means three and hishi (which becomes bishi) refers to a diamond or rhombus shape. Three diamonds, one name.
A little bit of history
14. Audi: four companies, four rings
Each ring stands for one of the four car makers that joined together in 1932 to form Auto Union: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer.
15. Volvo: the symbol for iron
The circle with an arrow is the ancient chemical symbol for iron, chosen to stand for the strength of Swedish steel.
16. BMW: not actually a propeller
Many people believe the blue and white quarters show a spinning aircraft propeller. In fact, they come from the colours of Bavaria, where BMW was founded. The propeller story came later, from an advert, and BMW itself has said it's a myth.
17. Starbucks: a two-tailed siren
The woman in the green circle is a siren, a mythical sea creature with two tails. She was inspired by an old woodcut and chosen to reflect Seattle's port and the sea journeys of coffee.
18. Apple: why the bite?
It's tempting to think the bite is a joke about computer "bytes". The designer has explained the real reason was simpler: the bite makes it clear the fruit is an apple and not a cherry.
Now test yourself
Knowing the story behind a logo makes it much easier to remember. If you want to see how many brands you can recognise from just a part of their logo, try Logo Quiz. And if you prefer guessing from tiny zoomed-in details, Guess it! Zoom Pic is made for you.
Guess it! Zoom Pic
A super close-up picture and one word to find. 1M+ downloads, rated 4.7.
