There have been some really amazing logos that have come and stayed yet for ages. Logos are the primary identity of brands. I am sure you all must have seen them often with daily products that you have been using but ever wondered what those creators must be thinking while creating them? Or what is the story behind that little figure which has created such a big brand? You will see plenty of things being said all across the digital frame about what really a logo means and what it doesn’t, how negative spaces have the meaning incorporated. But sadly, that’s incorrect. There is no relation between the negative spaces and the actual logo.
What? Yes, the actual logo is a little different, it is what the company dreams, it is a visual interpretation of the motto of an organization. Let’s see a few examples of such logos that will really interest you.
London Symphony Orchestra
To me, this is one of the best examples of encrypted meanings in a logo, first because is hidden in plain sight, though more importantly, its secondary element—the conductor—has a very strong conceptual connectivity with the essence of the business; which makes this logo very special.
Baskin-Robbins
We all love it, don’t we?
Baskin Robbins, back in 1953, had launched an innovative concept in the flavoured ice cream market by offering a total of 31 different flavors. The number 31 was present in the original logo, right in between the names Baskin and Robbins. This is one curious fact about this concept that the idea of having so many flavors came out of what later would become Ogilvy & Mather.
Sun Microsystems
This is a logo designed by a computer guy. It is an ambigram, a form of typographic design that allows a word to be read from different orientations. So I am sure you can see the word spelled ‘SUN’ from every direction? Just for your surprise, the actual designer of this one was himself unaware of its symbolic representation.
Amazon
Now who isn’t aware of this e-commerce giant, Amazon earlier did no really have this arrow, and had it not, this one would have been petty boring. The arrow in the amazon logo symbolizes the idea that Amazon store sells everything from A to Z, a brilliant concept, indeed; expressing its omnipresent nature and biodiversity one would find in the Amazon forest. If that’s not convincing enough, this arrow also represents a smile, only suggesting that shopping at their store will make it a happy gala occasion.
Le Tour de France
Le Tour de France logo contains a hidden cyclist shaped by the letter “R” and “U” riding a cycle which wheels are made out of the letters “O”. The last “O” is colored in yellow, the same color of the famous jersey given to the winner of the event. On a more subjective and moral level, the yellow wheel also suggests the idea of a sun; quite appropriate as the event runs in the summer.
Sony Vaio
Sony Vaio is more of a computer geeks sort of a logo design. The left side of the logo is made out of a wave symbol, representing the idea of analog technology. The right side of the logo is made out of the numbers “1″ and “0″, the two digits used in binary computing, the digital. Binary digits? Now you know why I said ‘computer geeks’.
And oh By the way, if you’re wondering, VAIO is an acronym for Video Audio Intelligent Organizer.
Toblerone
This world-famous Swiss chocolate has a hidden Bear incorporated in the snows of Matterhorn as illustrated in this one. The mountain is located in the border between Switzerland and Italy, which is an explanation to what it is there, And the bear? Well that’s a homage to the town of Bern, where the Toblerone was originally manufactured; and the bear is the official symbol of the town. See, some real facts eh!
And god knows there are so many more such logos with some interesting story. Logos can tell a story, which no other visual feature can do as well. Do you know of such and more intriguing stories?