Hidden designs in famous logos
March 17, 2018 8:52 PM Subscribe
The practice of hiding elements is common to all visual communications, not solely logos. It's as old as the practice of the design of logos itself.
The two "Ts" in the logo for Tostitos double as two people holding tortillas, ready to be dipped into the pot of salsa represented by the dot on the letter "I."
*head explodes*
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:04 PM on March 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
*head explodes*
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:04 PM on March 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mmmm. Nachos.
*dips nacho in the goo from exploded head*
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:05 PM on March 17, 2018 [8 favorites]
*dips nacho in the goo from exploded head*
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:05 PM on March 17, 2018 [8 favorites]
When the Big Ten conference expanded to 11 teams, they threw a negative space 11 in the logo. Now that they're up to 52 teams or whatever they kinda gave up.
posted by ckape at 9:32 PM on March 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by ckape at 9:32 PM on March 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
Reminds me of a detail on the sheath of the Master Sword from Zelda.
posted by straight at 9:40 PM on March 17, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by straight at 9:40 PM on March 17, 2018 [4 favorites]
A different kind of logo hiding: The largest brewer in Venezuela produces Cerveza Polar and has a polar bear on their logo. Which is a pun you only get if you speak English.
posted by straight at 9:46 PM on March 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by straight at 9:46 PM on March 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
> straight:
"Cerveza Polar and has a polar bear on their logo. Which is a pun you only get if you speak English."
Polar Bear in Spanish is 'Oso Polar'.
posted by signal at 9:55 PM on March 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
"Cerveza Polar and has a polar bear on their logo. Which is a pun you only get if you speak English."
Polar Bear in Spanish is 'Oso Polar'.
posted by signal at 9:55 PM on March 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
I always thought the 'A' in the Samsung logo looked like a pair of pants. Everytime I see the logo I think "hehe Spantsung".
posted by littlesq at 10:09 PM on March 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by littlesq at 10:09 PM on March 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
I always thought the 'A' in the Acura logo looked like a fountain pen nib.
The former Ontario Hydro electrical utility logo incorporates 'O', 'H', and 'E', and looks like a two-prong electrical plug.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 10:24 PM on March 17, 2018
The former Ontario Hydro electrical utility logo incorporates 'O', 'H', and 'E', and looks like a two-prong electrical plug.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 10:24 PM on March 17, 2018
Before switching to a new logo in 2017, Formula 1 racing held onto this one for 23 years. The letter "F" and the red speed marks on the right beautifully create the number "1" in the middle through negative space.
I gotta say, I think I prefer the fixed version.
posted by ODiV at 10:35 PM on March 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
I gotta say, I think I prefer the fixed version.
posted by ODiV at 10:35 PM on March 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
Despite ODiVs directional proclivities, I do feel that Tour de France bikesman is going the wrong way somehow.
posted by jan murray at 11:04 PM on March 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by jan murray at 11:04 PM on March 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
Polar Bear in Spanish is 'Oso Polar'.
I don't get it. Does Oso sound as much like Cerveza to a Spanish-speaker as Bear sounds like Beer in English? My point was that the pun was "hidden" by being in a foreign language (English), but is there also a Spanish pun I'm missing?
posted by straight at 12:16 AM on March 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't get it. Does Oso sound as much like Cerveza to a Spanish-speaker as Bear sounds like Beer in English? My point was that the pun was "hidden" by being in a foreign language (English), but is there also a Spanish pun I'm missing?
posted by straight at 12:16 AM on March 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Every time I read one of those lists I feel kinda stupid because I just don't get most of them, but at the same time I don't want to look at the logos extra hard because then I might become the sort of person who recognizes and has positive feelings towards logos.
posted by Vesihiisi at 12:25 AM on March 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Vesihiisi at 12:25 AM on March 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
Then, of course, there's Proctor & Gamble's Satanic logo.
posted by Paul Slade at 2:55 AM on March 18, 2018
posted by Paul Slade at 2:55 AM on March 18, 2018
I always thought the 'A' in the Acura logo looked like a fountain pen nib.
It's meant to look like a caliper.
posted by condour75 at 5:08 AM on March 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's meant to look like a caliper.
posted by condour75 at 5:08 AM on March 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Speaking of cars, I've always liked how the Infinity logo looks both like a road vanishing into the horizon and a bent figure-8 infinity symbol.
posted by HeroZero at 5:12 AM on March 18, 2018
posted by HeroZero at 5:12 AM on March 18, 2018
The logo of German car maker BMW was long thought to represent a stylized aircraft propeller against a blue sky background, in a reference to BMW's historic past as a manufacturer of airplane engines. More recently, however, the company has clarified that the roundel actually represents the flag of Bavaria,
I've always heard the propeller story, too. But, to me, the logo more closely resembles a registration mark used to exactly line-up different items for assembly. Which, to my mind dovetails nicely with the traditional German reputation for superior engineering.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:27 AM on March 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've always heard the propeller story, too. But, to me, the logo more closely resembles a registration mark used to exactly line-up different items for assembly. Which, to my mind dovetails nicely with the traditional German reputation for superior engineering.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:27 AM on March 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Every time I read one of those lists I feel kinda stupid because I just don't get most of them, but at the same time I don't want to look at the logos extra hard because then I might become the sort of person who recognizes and has positive feelings towards logos.
I am the opposite. It's like, yeah, I already saw that. Logos are supposed to be symbolic. Which just goes to show you that no matter how clever and ingenious an artist can be or how much effort they spend on a creation, that artist is dealing with a world of sleepwalkers who do not appreciate or notice a single thing around them, and miss all of the obvious signs.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 7:40 AM on March 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am the opposite. It's like, yeah, I already saw that. Logos are supposed to be symbolic. Which just goes to show you that no matter how clever and ingenious an artist can be or how much effort they spend on a creation, that artist is dealing with a world of sleepwalkers who do not appreciate or notice a single thing around them, and miss all of the obvious signs.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 7:40 AM on March 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Gee...am I the only one that thinks the Toyota logo spells ‘Toyota’ with all the letters overlaid on each other?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 7:48 AM on March 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 7:48 AM on March 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Another cool fact about BMW—its headquarters building in Munich is shaped like a four-cylinder engine.
posted by flyingsquirrel at 8:20 AM on March 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by flyingsquirrel at 8:20 AM on March 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Gee...am I the only one that thinks the Toyota logo spells ‘Toyota’ with all the letters overlaid on each other?
That's silly. What kind of language would write a word by stacking the characters like that on top of each... ooooooother...
posted by straight at 8:47 AM on March 18, 2018
That's silly. What kind of language would write a word by stacking the characters like that on top of each... ooooooother...
posted by straight at 8:47 AM on March 18, 2018
glomius keming
calling glomius keming
posted by lalochezia at 9:34 AM on March 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
calling glomius keming
posted by lalochezia at 9:34 AM on March 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Gee...am I the only one that thinks the Toyota logo spells ‘Toyota’ with all the letters overlaid on each other?
No, obviously it's a person wearing a large sombrero!
posted by littlesq at 11:26 AM on March 18, 2018
No, obviously it's a person wearing a large sombrero!
posted by littlesq at 11:26 AM on March 18, 2018
I think it looks like a bull, and is a T for Taurus.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:42 PM on March 18, 2018
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:42 PM on March 18, 2018
Toyota does not (yet) have a model named Taurus.
posted by mistersquid at 3:42 PM on March 18, 2018
posted by mistersquid at 3:42 PM on March 18, 2018
Right, that's why it seems incongruous to me. I didn't phrase that well.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:22 PM on March 18, 2018
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:22 PM on March 18, 2018
The logo of German car maker BMW was long thought to represent a stylized aircraft propeller against a blue sky background, in a reference to BMW's historic past as a manufacturer of airplane engines. More recently, however, the company has clarified that the roundel actually represents the flag of Bavaria, the German federal state where the company originated.What? Finding Forrester lied to me? And I suppose man-dog transformations aren't a thing either!
posted by ckape at 2:12 AM on March 19, 2018
If I can toot my own horn for a moment, I designed a logo that also accidentally makes good use of negative space. What's funny to me is that the rest of my board loved this, while I was hoping to use a different design. Shows what I know.
Anyway, here is the logo for Pro Choice South Bend, which features the female reproductive system within the two pair of hands.
posted by k_nemesis at 10:37 AM on March 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Anyway, here is the logo for Pro Choice South Bend, which features the female reproductive system within the two pair of hands.
posted by k_nemesis at 10:37 AM on March 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:53 PM on March 17, 2018 [1 favorite]