A logo is not a brand – you’ve heard us say this many times. However, that doesn’t mean a logo isn’t a very crucial part of the brand experience. After all, a logo encompasses everything a brand is about, and delivers it all in a shrinkable and recognisable collection of pixels. The more iconic logos we know today even have the power to paint a picture of the brand with just one look.
Image is consumed 60,000 times faster than text, and visual information makes up 90% of the information that reaches our brain (Visme, 2018). A lot of this takes place subconsciously and can evoke powerful emotional responses unbeknownst to the rational, conscious brain.
So, what does this mean for logo design? You have to be clever and use this information to your advantage.
Here’s a homage to some of our favourite iconic logos with hidden meanings:
Spot the hidden arrow between the ‘E’ and the ‘X’? That represents speed and efficiency. Clever, eh?
As a popular brand of surf-inspired apparel, of course it takes inspiration from waves. Specifically, a giving a twist on the well-known print, “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa”. Just looking at the logo sparks recognition in the mind of the viewer.
Elon Musk took to Twitter to abate curious speculation about the origins of the Tesla logo. He explained that it represents the cross-section of an electric motor. (Picture by Daniel Fourie via Quora)
The brand was repositioning itself from being an online bookseller to a “store of everything”, which explains their now-iconic logo. An arrow pointing from the letter “A” to “Z” reflects just that, and creates a smiley face – for extra measure.
Hunt & Hawk
Not to be bias, but did anyone notice the double ‘HH’ in our hawk wing logo? 😉
Creating an iconic logo means digging a little deeper and accessing the collective human experience to embody every aspect of the brand experience. A logo has the ability to propel a brand to wide-reaching success or be forgotten in the unmemorable masses of information we are exposed to daily.
Get recognised in a blink of an eye!
Whether you’re a start-up or a mature business, we will help you create an identity authentically and professionally represents who you are. Let’s work together!
