12th April 2020
Customers remember brands for a more extended period of time if they’ve got something unique and distinctive to them – Iconic logos with a subtlety of secrecy can do wonders if they’re done right!
We all see several images every day. Some of them are simple, while others consist of substantial design elements. No matter how the design is, every image contains a brand message within it. However, some of these brand messages are in the form of hidden images, while others are overtly shown.
Creativity never fails to fascinate people. Let’s consider this example; keep two logo designs in front for you, one containing a hidden message that can be easily perceived but is surreptitiously hidden behind a veil, the other being simple with no hidden messages. Now which one do you think will fascinate you more? The one with a hidden message, of course…
“Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.” — Massimo Vignelli, Italian designer
Customers associate with brands when they find something which they can connect with. Hence, every time they will see anything that hints to the hidden message, or even the design of the company, it will automatically redirect their attention to the brand and its offerings.
The competition these days is tough. To gain a massive ratio of clients, you have to prove yourself in the industry. Once you successfully establish credibility in the market, entailing a hidden message in the emblem of the brand works its magic, especially on the creative channels that the social media nowadays is laden with.
With this being a very minute consideration of what hidden meanings can do for a brand’s design, now let’s jump into how the world’s most famous brands have used hidden messages to convey their messages to the customers` subconscious minds.
Source: Baskin Robbins
Baskin Robbins is one of the most famous names of the ice-cream industry. Anyone who loves ice-cream must have heard their name several times. Their funky color theme never fails to captivate the audience’s attention. The best part about their emblem is that the brand contains a hidden number within their logo design.
Do you see the letter B and R in Baskin Robbins? Look carefully between the letters; you will observe the number 31. This number showcases the number of flavors they are offering.
Source: Fedex
Who hasn’t heard of FedEx? This brilliant carriage service is again an industry leader, and likewise has something in store for its customers that many are not aware of.
FedEx` logo design contains a hidden image that is an arrow that represents speed and precision.
Look carefully in between letters E and X, and you will know what we meant.
Source: Wendy’s
Wendy’s is a famous fast-food restaurant chain. While the red color works to entice customers` love for food, if you look carefully at the collar of “girl” above, you will see the word MOM. This image shows that the food is fresh and clean as the home-made food just like the one that our moms make.
SOURCE: NBC
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is the world-famous American-English commercial terrestrial radio as well as a television network.
NBC is also referred to as The Peacock Network, which can also be seen above the “NBC” and between the colorful feathers of the bird.
These different colors also signify each division of NBC. Even though many other channels come under NBC, but the brand seems to be consistent with its actual theme.
Source: Amazon
The smile we see on Amazon’s iconic logo design is not the only message the brand is giving. The arrow starts from A and ends at Z. This tells that they contain all the products starting from A to Z. So, no matter what you want, you can find it all on Amazon.
Hope for African Children Initiative is a charity organization. While at first glance, many might miss it, but a shrewd eye reveals that the image shows the shape of the African continent, as well as outlines the image of a grown-up mother figurine and a child.
As the Hope for African Children is working to help children that are orphaned due to AIDS, this imagery is a sign of a quiet nod to motivate the group.
Source: Adidas
You will find Adidas’s products all around the world. Most of us have worn either one of their wearables at some point in our lives.
If you look at the image, you will see three strips. These lines signify mountain, which tells that the Adidas will help you climb you through obstacles.
Source: Google
There is no as such imagery hidden in Google’s logo design. However, they break an essential design rule that is to not to use more colors than required. If we see the letter L, it is covered green. Google breaks this rule to show the world that they are not afraid to try something new.
Source: Subway
Subway is renowned for its quick, fresh, and remarkable food experiences, especially when it comes to its sandwiches.
When its logo is taken into consideration, the arrows on both ends signify an actual subway. And where does a subway take us? Everywhere!
Source: Sony Ericsson
While the merger between Sony and Ericsson is no longer one hears of, its design has an interesting peculiarity that even many users were unaware of.
The brand’s emblem consists of two distinctive colors – Green and white – And the custom logo designers have ensured that each brand gets an equal representation.
How did they make it work?
They made the green color represent “e,” while the white from the bottom to the top represents the “s” of Sony.
Source: Pinterest
What do we do on Pinterest? Pin things! The P you see above is made like a pin showing the main thing that Pinterest does.
Source: Unilever
Unilever has a number of products, like shampoo, conditioner, soaps, you name it!
So instead of going with just one thing, Unilever decided to add all of what they sell. Good luck in figuring out what’s not in there!
Source: Slack
Slack is a chat room that serves companies. So instead of chatting via email, it allows you to organize communications via channels for group discussions and private messages.
Their colorful design is much more than the funky appeal. It contains speech bubbles and hashtags to reinforce the idea that the app is for enhancing liveliness in workplaces.
Source: Hyundai
Hyundai is a multinational car manufacturer, originating from South Korea. If one looks at the design thoroughly, the H has two men shaking hands together. It is like a successful deal among the car dealer and the customer.
Source: Kisses
Kisses are the world’s most favorite chocolates. Along with these little bytes melting in the mouth, their wrappers constantly entice you subconsciously to have another one. How???
Look at the letter “K” and “I,” you’ll find waiting to be devoured!
Source: Big Ten Conference
In the year 1990, The Big Ten collegiate conference got themselves into a big issue when they extended to 11 colleges. To fix their outdated emblem, they rebranded themselves by adding the number 11 in their design.
Source: Tostitos
Tostitos contains a happy message. Their color theme is perfect to attract hungry customers. I between both Ts shows the bowl of Salsa at a table and two people excitedly having it.
Source: Cisco
The lines above CISCO makes everyone curious. These decent and simple lines are the shape of the famous Golden Gate Bridge that is located in the city of San Francisco – the city where the company was found.
Source: Toblerone
Toblerone is another favorite that choco-maniacs love to have. If you look at the design of the brand carefully, you will see a hidden bear. This bear is the symbol of the Swiss town of Bern that is also known as The City of The Bears, the city where this chocolate has originally been created.
Source: Guild of Food Writers
The Guild of Food Writers has shown the best example of using negative space. The nib of the pen contains a spoon. This spoon goes in congruence with the name and theme of the brand, hence completely telling the customer what the brand is about.
Hidden messages in logo designs are not only fascinating, but it is also a creative strategy for crafting memorable designs that last in the target audience’s minds for a longer period of time.
Engaging your customers and convincing them to try your product with a simple logo alone is an incredibly industrious task. However, with something that appeals to their subconscious, the chances of getting them to your side increase manifolds.
Looking for a professional logo designer or an agency that can get you a design with hidden meaning? Well, look no further. At Indigo, we can help you with exactly what you want. Give us a brief, and we’ll let you know how you can incorporate your hidden message in the design you want your brand to be represented by!
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