mgroves

Hidden stuff in logos

 

I was in a discussion recently about hidden symbols inside of logos. Most of the time, these are not obvious to me (though maybe I'm a little thick). I think it's cool that some companies do this: it shows that they put a lot of thought into their logo design, what they want it to mean, what they want it to convey, etc. Here are some examples of logos with hidden symbols. See if you can figure them out, and then mouse over them to reveal the hidden symbol.

First up, FedEx. Maybe they want to convey speed, direction, reliability. Can you spot the hidden symbol?

Now that you've seen it, you'll it every time. Next up, the Big Ten collegiate conference. The Big Ten has eleven schools, but they didn't want to change their name. They did, however, change their logo...

The Atlanta Falcons logo. This might be really obvious, but I didn't even think about it until recently...

The Iowa Hawkeyes (a Big Ten school), have a letter hidden in their logo:

The Montreal Expos. Their logo was always an enigma to me. What is "elb"? Well, this is a matter of some contention, but everyone seems to agree that it's a large M smack dab in the middle. Stylized so much that it's really hard to picture. Think of it like an M that starts and ends in a flourish.

Finally, Goodwill. A charitible company that wants to make people smile. Behind that smile is a sinister secret symbol!

Again, maybe obvious to everyone else but I didn't really think about it being a letter. I think these are really cool; if I keep finding these, I'll post more of 'em.

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64 Responses to Hidden stuff in logos Article comments Feed

1

Gerbs of http://cafe-style.net

Companies don't put a lot of thought into their logos, the designers they hire do. That's what they usually pay them for.

Never thought about the Goodwill one before. I've seen the stupid FedEx arrow so many times in design class it makes me cry. ...but not really.

Posted at September 10, 2006 on 6:46pm

2

David

The New Jersey Devils logo, it's an NJ symbol and a devil in one.

Posted at September 10, 2006 on 7:05pm

3

Tom

Find the arrow in the FedEx logo, its between the E and the X

Posted at September 10, 2006 on 7:09pm

4

some guy

The falcon logo outline also looks like a bird head all by itself, with a full bird inside.

Posted at September 10, 2006 on 7:12pm

5

Joe

You all have to much time on your hands.....you precieve what you chose to see.

Posted at September 23, 2006 on 10:46pm

6

Covarr of http://covarr.blogspot.com/

Washington State University has a really cool Cougar that also says WSU if you look at it right.

Posted at September 24, 2006 on 5:00pm

7

Jem of http://www.jemjabella.co.uk

My old college has a nifty logo (see top right: tcat.ac.uk). Not only does it look like a road going under a bridge (which the college just happens to have in front of it) but it is also a "T" (for Telford College) and if you break the logo down it spells "TCAT" which is what the college is referred to (stands for Telford College of Arts and Technology). Always fascinated me, anyway. ;)

Posted at September 25, 2006 on 9:22am

8

kaosjester

The falcon has an 'f' in it lololol

Posted at September 25, 2006 on 11:35am

9

parade rain

you all have way too much time on your hands, and are trying way too hard. I'll give you goodwill, the expos, fedex and the Big Ten. I've even got another tidbit from the expos that I've verified a long time ago. The whole thing makes an "M", but there's a red "E" and a blue "B" if you look again. It stands for Montreal Expos Baseball.
On the other hand, the Falcons "F" and the Iowa I idental. The falcons logo is simply a modernization of the old one and on the left side of the helmet it still faces forward, resulting in a backwards "F". I also think you're looking too closely at the Iowa logo. Especially in sports logos, when a team wants you to see something in their logo they make it something more obvious, like washington state.

Posted at September 25, 2006 on 3:36pm

10

mgroves of http://www.mgroves.com

Parade rain, read the blurb about the Expos again. I've looked at multiple sources and they all seem to conflict about it being an "M", an "elb", an "eMb", or some combination of those, and they all seem to conflict on what the letters stand for. I just never personally noticed that it was supposed to be an "M" for Montreal. It's really a terrible design if it's meant to be an "M".

Posted at September 26, 2006 on 2:03am

11

monkeyf

Its called Gestalt Theory of visual perception and psychology. One of the main element of graphic design. Its what you study in design schools and then implement in your work. Its not designed to be hidden thou.

Posted at September 26, 2006 on 11:34pm

12

nolawi of http://www.bernos.org

I dont think the are so hidden.. yes its intentional but its not hiddden.. if you really look its there...

Posted at September 27, 2006 on 2:24am

13

sean

once I got into an argument about the fedex logo with my roommate and he got really offended when i said it was a simple logo that anybody could come up with when I feel that is the idea behind it

Posted at September 27, 2006 on 8:33pm

14

Isaypotato

The Big Ten logo is a brilliant piece of design work.

Posted at September 28, 2006 on 11:35pm

15

Nick

The old ball and glove Milwaukee Brewers logo is a hidden M and B put together.

Posted at September 29, 2006 on 7:08pm

16

someone7 of http://none

i thought this page was excellent

Posted at September 30, 2006 on 4:56pm

17

Jaxia of http://www.youknowyouwanna.net

The Fort Worth zoo logo is neat like that, too.

Posted at October 3, 2006 on 7:06pm

18

Wesley

People have always told me that I look at things differently. I'm starting to believe it. I've always only seen the M in the Expos logo, never even saw the "elb" or whatever. I still don't get the Iowa logo though.
But here is some information that few realize. The name Starbucks actually means something. It's not named after a person nor randomly chosen. If you were to read Starbucks original business plan you would find that their goal was to make $5 revenue from every customer that walked through the door. - Now how many points are on the commonly drawn star? Correct 5. and then Dollars=Bucks. So instead of "FiveDollars Coffee" isn't "StarBucks" cooler and make you feel less a fool?

Posted at October 8, 2006 on 2:08pm

19

Dan

Lol. None of that stuff is hidden, it's just good graphic design. You've just started paying attention to stuff you were, apparently, blind to.

Lots of very talented people work their creative tails off to come up with great designs that most people are oblivious to.

Posted at October 18, 2006 on 4:06am

20

monkeypup of http://monkeypup.org

Nice work. I've always thought the FedEx logo was very well done, after someone pointed out the arrow, that I had never noticed. Simple and effective, like the Goodwill Face (also one I never noticed) and the Big Ten logo. The others, though...not sure how much of it is intended and how much is coincidence. It's like the English classes I used to take. Sometimes, a red shirt is symbolism intended by the author. Sometimes, it's just a red shirt.

Another interesting topic along the same lines is Subliminal advertising, which is intended to be hidden to the casual observer.

http://killermookie.org/images/coke_blow.jpg

:)

Posted at October 20, 2006 on 5:08pm

21

Calziglione

people could have different borders to perception by chosing of relevant Signs in it Images are pictures we can not think it instead of the word If you see a word you lead images in there and in between An image itself couldnt do this The word comes from the ear the image from the eye more like a sign It is the form of memory even if you chose an impressiv coke

Posted at October 21, 2006 on 4:40am

22

boy_bato

the old logo of KFC: col sanders looks like a drumstick XD

Posted at October 23, 2006 on 1:03am

23

txdave of http://blogs-apart.blogspot.com

Clever graphics here, come see some creative blogs, great photos, color/format:

http://blogs-apart.blogspot.com

Posted at October 23, 2006 on 2:00am

24

shay4578

In the FedEx Logo, you might also notice another cool feature. The "dE" also looks a lot like the "SWOOSH" signs in comics, or a fiery trail of a fast going car's tire.

Posted at November 7, 2006 on 7:00am

25

Dave of http://dave7blog.blogspot.com

Nice article, some clever ones in there!

Posted at November 14, 2006 on 10:39am

26

Skeeter of http://www.stumbleupon.com

Thank you! This web site has made me dumber.
My IQ is still dropping as I type this.

Posted at November 18, 2006 on 9:15pm

27

phil

old coke-cola logo's turned on their sides show a man wearing a top hat with the white "(cocaine)" line running through his nose.

Posted at December 6, 2006 on 6:24pm

28

mgroves of http://www.mgroves.com

That sounds like an urban legend to me, but I would love to see a picture of it just the same.

Posted at December 6, 2006 on 7:50pm

29

Woody of http://www.flywheeldesign.com

Fascinating discussion! As a logotype designer who's often frustrated that it can take so much energy to convince clients that what we do is worthwhile, I find it refreshing to hear people grappling with these issues. But, of course, the parlor tricks described here - amusing as they may be - aren't typical or necessary in professional logotype design. Truth be told, from a visual/strategic point of view some of the logos discussed here are real clunkers. You can check out my work at flywheeldesign.com

Posted at February 1, 2007 on 10:58pm

30

GotMilk

i don't get the goodwill hidden thing 0_0'

Posted at March 15, 2007 on 2:15am

31

Yo Momma

Did you also know that the King of Hearts is stabbing himself in the head !!!!!

Posted at March 18, 2007 on 4:33pm

32

Madlette

I can't get the goodwill one and it's killing me! Hint, please?

Posted at March 29, 2007 on 8:29pm

33

mgroves of http://www.mgroves.com

Just mouse-over the picture and the answer is revealed. However, if that doesn't work, here's the answer: the smiley face is a lowercase "g", just like the "g" in the word "goodwill" below it.

Posted at March 30, 2007 on 8:53pm

34

Mike

I can't believe you excluded the old Milwaukee Brewers symbol. I firmly believe it was the most clever symbol in the history of sports teams...

Posted at April 9, 2007 on 5:59pm

35

eric

the montreal expo one says that there is an "M" for montreal the red prt is an "E" for expos and the blue part is a "B" for baseball and its montreal expos baseball

Posted at May 3, 2007 on 2:52am

36

Andrew, Sqwink Design of http://www.sqwink.com

A famous logo, in Britain anyway, is the old BT (British Telecom) logo. Some say it had a hidden snake in it..and others say it's because the company is evil! You can view it on the BBC website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1945000/images/_1947909_bt300.jpg

You'll see this alleged snake, it's red...

Posted at May 5, 2007 on 11:53pm

37

Roscoe P. Coletrane.

Mexico has weapons of mass destruction.

Posted at June 2, 2007 on 12:21pm

38

BAER22

That Brithish Telecom logo is spooky! I like it though>

Posted at June 4, 2007 on 7:34pm

39

Bob

Going to a lot of trouble to be creative and then hiding the result is nuts. Going to a lot of trouble and then making the result a successful marketing move is good business. If one has to be an insider to decode the logo, it's of no use. Those clever artifacts that are too subtle to reveal themselves are simply failures, plain and simple. And of course, after-the-fact revelations are bullshit. (Oh, look, the face of St. Peter in this Budweiser label!)

Posted at July 1, 2007 on 4:48pm

40

Ethereal

The corporations use many marketing stategies, one of the most isnteresting to me is the use of hidden symbolizm in their logos... Never noticed that Fed Ex one, but heres some more... Shell gasoline is a sun rising in b/w two mountains(illuminati)... Chevron is a Blue box on top of/holding down a red box(blue blood, i.e. royalty's control over the red bloods, i.e. the rest of us)... a box sybolizing control/confinment... McDomination's logo is the ancient symbol for aries... CBS is the eye of Ra... Gateway's logo used to be 666 before they changed it... Salem cigarettes has the yin yang as their logo, which is the ancient symbol for the zodiak sign cancer(interesting choice)... Texaco is a pentagram with the masonic t-square inside of it... The Red Cross or as they were once called the Rosicrucian family... The Red Shield or the RothSchield germanic bluebloods... Arco is a pyramid with a missing capstone pictured from the top... They put pyramids everywhere, its ridiculous... too much shit to even get into on the dollar bill, and the different denominations... or the coins, ever notice how the president the freed the slaves faces the opposite direction as all other coins, and is a few shades darker than the rest... Symbolizm like this is everywhere in the bible too... When Jesus/Yahushua fed the multitudes with two fish, it symbolized the age of pisces... also this messiah, this Lion of Judah, many belive born in the leo month(NOT Dec. 25th, Saturns birthday from Roman mythology), was crucified on a cross... The symbol for the zodiak sign Leo is the sun/son, and on the zodiak circle the sun sits on a cross in the middle surrounded by the twelve signs/disciples/disciplines... when jesus to ld Satan to get behind him it was because Saturn/Satan was behind the moon at the time... The moon was a representation of the child of the sun, or the son of the father sun... The moon is reflecting the light of the Father for around 30 days, dies, and is ressurected on the third day... this shit goes on and on... once you open up to this shit you see it everywhere...

Check out our Myspace page for more info,

http://www.myspace.com/livingmechanizm...

watch the videos on the use of occultic symbolizm in the mainstream media by Michael Tsarion...

also listen to my song Hidden Symbolizm on my solo page,

Http://www.myspace.com/etherealhiphop

Posted at July 8, 2007 on 10:54am

41

mgroves of http://www.mgroves.com

It's a conspiracy maaaaan! The evil corporations are run by the reptilians!

Posted at July 8, 2007 on 2:08pm

42

summer

the falcons has the F not for falcons but for felons.

Posted at July 28, 2007 on 4:15am

43

Illuminati

Ethereal you are a total buffoon. We are a SECRET orgainzation. Why would we give you hints of our existance? BTW, we also have a secret internet and satelites that monitor your dreams, but don't tell anyone. Shhhh...it's a secret.

Posted at August 3, 2007 on 1:57am

44

Barry Barcrest of http://www.freeboxjukebox.com

If you look at the mountain on the toblerone choclater bars there is a hidden bear to represent BERN which has it as it's symbol.

Posted at September 18, 2007 on 4:42pm

45

Logo Design of http://Logo Design

Show behind the logo to find the message :-)

Posted at October 6, 2007 on 12:27pm

46

Carl

A couple more for you. . . the old hartford whalers logo has a hidden "H" and a not-so-hidden "W" in their logo. Also, the company, Snap-on has a wrench hidden in the "S."

Posted at November 9, 2007 on 1:09am

47

Jonny

The mgroves.com logo is actually a Mad Magazine fold-in. If you print and fold the logo at the left of the "G" and the right of the "c", it reveals who Matt had sex with last night.

Posted at November 9, 2007 on 2:00am

48

mgroves.com of http://www.mgroves.com

Ah, you're thinking of my other site, YourMgroves.com

Posted at November 9, 2007 on 11:38am

49

minywheats

man that site must have cobwebs

Posted at November 9, 2007 on 11:49pm

50

Dave

Nearly every company that exists today has some form of satanic symbol hidden in plain view. The most used one is the symbol of the ram's horn which makes anything next to it look like a 6 or serpent. there is also the use of the pyramid, shield, and the all seeing eye. as well as using combinations. Here are just a few but they are everywhere. Taco Bell, Burger King, UPS, bud light, nearly all procter and gamble products, camel, axe, suave, paramount, monster.com, etc... Along with imagery on NFL, disney, uSa, food channel, etc... the elitists infiltrate all forms of society from education, to law, military, government, arts, etc... They do there best to show there symbols hidden in plain view to annouonce themselves.

Posted at November 26, 2007 on 5:59pm

51

mgroves of http://www.mgroves.com

What about Chick-Fil-A?

Posted at November 26, 2007 on 6:42pm

52

dreadhead of http://josephdbferguson.com

Blame the freemasons!

Posted at November 26, 2007 on 7:33pm

53

minywheats

let me tell ya, I work with like 50 freemasons, its the clan if ya ask me.

Posted at November 26, 2007 on 9:36pm

54

tmoney

most of you are stuck way too far up your own asses, "its called the Gestalt theory...", what a douche bag...anyways, check out the Missouri Western State University logo, they are the Griffins and the logo is shaped like the state of Missouri

Posted at December 7, 2007 on 2:43am

55

minywheats

this from a guy named tmoney

Posted at December 7, 2007 on 11:11am

56

alanmax

WE WANT MORE! MORE! MORE!
... i'm diggin the goodwill.

Posted at December 14, 2007 on 11:38pm

57

minywheats

I want more more more...

Posted at December 15, 2007 on 4:19pm

58

The Baldchemist of http://www.thebaldchemist

Bloody hell!What are you guys on? Logo's; brands; marques, some companies have 'em as recogntion. The ad agencies that design the bloody things work hard to create an image.
Great marques are like pornography; you cant describe it but you know it when you see it.
Some "designers" are like eunochs, they know how to do it, they see it done every day but they cant do it themselves.
The best "marque i have seen recently was the Nikolsons brand "n" on www.nikolsons.com . It sums up the 2 sons of Nikolai, the MD. Looks like a free flight bird, puts you in mind of waves, leaves, and leisure all in one.
Its oosing style and money which is what they wanted. No cheap skates.
Meant to be placed along the Cartiers, Bentley etc which the designer or agency have achieved with honours. Wish I'd have thought and got paid for it.
Happy New year. Masons and The Clan indeed. Bloody Hell.
The Baldchemist

Posted at January 7, 2008 on 12:48pm

59

The Baldchemist of http://www.thebaldchemist

And another thing Matt. How the bloody hell can a conservative be optimistic?
PS I forgot the .com after our url. Bloody Hell

Posted at January 7, 2008 on 12:51pm

60

Antonio

Check this article about: Logo Designs: Simplicity Rules!

How to transmit the importance of simplicity in logotype design to clients and marketing departaments seeking a new corporate visual identity for their companies.
http://www.analoga.com.uy/en/articles/logo-designs-simplicity-rules.html

Posted at January 11, 2008 on 12:05pm

61

unknown

in the doge truck logo if u look closely it looks like a mans testcals and penis lol it is so funny

Posted at February 13, 2008 on 12:18am

62

Marita

Thanks Antonio great article
Logo Designs: Simplicity Rules!

Posted at February 13, 2008 on 12:43pm

63

Andrew Kelsall of http://www.sqwink.com

Hi, I left a comment here a last year about the BT logo, and the hidden evil snake! I see there's many people still interested in the hidden meanings in logos in this post. I read about the fedex one here and on another blog, so I decided to write my own on it at http://sqwink.com/news/2007/11/13/fedex-the-truth-behind-their-subliminal-logo/ if anyones interested.
@ Dave, I agree with you partly - there does seem to be a lot of 666 symbolism in logos these days, but not all!

Posted at February 14, 2008 on 10:12pm

64

peanutbutterjellytime

OMG i have seen the freaking arrow so many times. CAN ANYONE SEE THE SPOON? It's between the e and d it's kinda sad no one else sees it...
but whateva that's so old.

Posted at March 28, 2008 on 1:19am

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