20 Of The Best Hidden Messages in Logos.

Do you believe that subliminal messages in product logos influence your patronage or purchasing habits? Do you scrutinize logos trying to find secret designs within the design? Neither do we, but many of the biggest companies include hidden messages in logos that somehow reflect their brand.

To kick this conversation off, let’s ask one more question you should consider throughout this article. Is the graphic representation of London’s city growth found in the Museum of London logo apparent to anyone besides the logo designers?

And remember this as you read on. Any good logo design must be clear and connect with the viewer, and a good logo designer will ensure it matches your brand theme. The fundamentals of branding are far more important than any tricks or tactics, such as placing hidden images in logos. 

Whether you know it or not, subliminal logos with hidden messages occur in many brands. Some of them are brilliant; others require a decoder ring and precious, non-refundable hours of our lives to decipher successfully. 

While some strongly believe hidden designs impact consumers’ buying habits, there is no real need to try to stuff a hidden image into a logo design inelegantly; otherwise, you get this.

Ouch, right!

Why Create A Hidden Message In A Logo

Creating casual conversations about your company is a great way to keep your brand story alive for years. One way to accomplish this is by putting a hidden message in your logo. The trick is, finding the right balance between consumer awareness and letting your hidden message be an insider secret.

Brands also include hidden meanings in logos for internal purposes, placing a visual representation of the brand mission within the logo. Also, companies can use the white space of their logo design to embrace their brand’s legacy. 

Ultimately, the decision is yours, but we suggest you test your logo’s ability to create brand recall with and without your secret message. Now, look at some of the most famous logos incorporating hidden messages into the design.

Addidas

The debate about Adidas’s hidden message in the logo has existed for years. Some claim the iconic logo stripes represent a mountain, symbolizing the brand’s commitment to strength and endurance. Others say the three stripes represent the company’s three founders, Adi Dassler and his two brothers. 

Whatever the true inspiration behind the logo, one thing is certain: Adidas has become a household name, and its symbol is instantly recognizable worldwide. Maybe the hidden message in the Adidas logo is simply the power of great branding. Or perhaps it’s a mountain. Who knows? What is for sure is that it creates a conversation in the customer’s mind.

Apple

If you’re an Apple fan, you probably know their iconic logo like the back of your hand. The simple yet elegant graphic of the bitten apple has been around nearly since the company’s inception in 1976. Some people think that the bite represents humanity’s first taste of knowledge from the biblical story of Adam and Eve, but Steve Jobs had a more straightforward explanation. 

In a 1981 interview with Playboy, he revealed that he and a friend were on LSD when they decided to use an apple for the logo. So, whether you’re a fan of psychedelics or just good design and branding, the Apple logo is still an excellent example of an effective and memorable logo.

Amazon

Amazon, the most efficient and varied online marketplace on the planet, uses its company logo to convey what it provides to its customers — namely, everything under the sun. The little arrow on the Amazon logo, which many consider a smiley face, points to the “a” and “z” in the word “Amazon,” signifying they provide all things from A-Z, which it does. 

You could spend the afternoon shopping for groceries, a belt sander, and a Sham Wow while streaming the first season of Duck Dynasty. And we have all while having a smiling face 🙂

Baskin Robbins

Baskin Robbins integrated its famous “31” right into its badge. The 31 flavors, being a part of the corporate branding for so long, couldn’t be abandoned even though the number of flavors has undoubtedly changed. Regardless, the Baskin Robbins logo is a tight, efficient, fun badge and surprisingly sleek for a brand that is nearly 90 years old.

Beats By Dre

You may have noticed that the Beats by Dre logo combines a lowercase “B” and a white circle, but did you know there’s more to it than these two letters? This logo is not only a nod to the brand’s name but also cleverly resembles a person’s head sporting a set of iconic headphones.

This simple design element presents Beats by Dre as a more relatable and human-like appearance. It’s like the logo is saying, “Hey, we’re not just headphones; we’re your personal-audio companion!”

BMW

Do you ever wonder why BMW’s logo has a funky blue and white checkerboard pattern in the middle? Well, it’s not just for the show, my friend!

The design is a nod to the Bavarian flag, which has the same colors. Some folks say that the sections also resemble the propellers of a plane, which makes sense given BMW’s history in the aviation industry. We find this to be a clever way to include hidden symbols in logos.

Cisco

Cisco, the guru of communication and networking, has masterfully hidden a message in its logo. The lines hovering above the Cisco wordmark cleverly resemble signal waves and electromagnets. But wait, there’s more! These lines are also a subtle nod to the Golden Gate Bridge, a reminder of the company’s birthplace. It’s like a game of “find the Easter egg,” but for logo design.

FedEx

Strength! Power! Reliability! When you look closer at the FedEx logo, you can see a little arrow pointing to the right! The bold Federal Express logo incorporates all of these qualities. The little arrow is a charming touch and a strong example of a subliminal message in a logo’s imagery. No offense, Toblerone bear. It’s one of those things that once you see it, you’ll always see it first when watching a FedEx truck drive by.

Goodwill

Goodwill, a nonprofit organization that provides job training and employment services while peddling used goods, may not be an organization that comes to mind when you think of hidden things in logos. But take a closer look at this clever logo, and you’ll see that the lowercase “g” actually doubles as a smiling face. 

This hidden message embodies Goodwill’s mission of empowering individuals, promoting positivity, and creating a friendly and approachable brand image. It’s a small but effective design element that speaks volumes about the organization’s values and personality. GoodWill proves how logos with hidden images work for multinational corporations and nonprofits.

Le Tour de France

Lest you think that the Tour de France is merely an event where heavily performance-enhanced athletes making names for themselves, then disgracefully losing said titles, the brand logo reminds us that there is also some bicycling involved. The logo makes it clear with a little cyclist pedaling furiously. 

He is no doubt on his way to getting some human growth hormone. We kid we kid!

LG

With such few letters in the name and a simple design, LG easily pulls off secret messaging. You might see the letters “L” and “G” when you look at the logo, but there’s more than what you see at first glance.

Take a closer look at that red symbol next to the letters. Notice how the positioning of those letters, along with the white circle background, forms the shape of a face? Clever, right?

The idea behind this design choice is simple: LG hopes to become more relatable and welcoming to customers by giving its logo a human touch. Who knows, maybe we’ll all chat with our LG devices one day like they’re old friends.

NBC

When NBC first launched, it wanted a colorful and meaningful logo. Enter the peacock. The white space in the middle of the logo’s tear-drop shapes is a not to the feathered fowl. And it’s not just for show. The colorful tail feathers represent the six divisions of the network. With this logo, NBC managed to capture the essence of its brand and embrace the exciting technological advances of the time.

Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines may not be in operation anymore, but its logo still offers a fun hidden message for logo enthusiasts to uncover. Take a closer look at the plane’s red tail, and you’ll notice a small circle with a triangle inside. The layered shapes are not just a random design element; it’s a compass pointing to the northwest. 

We’re uncertain how effectively this hidden message got people to choose Northwest Airlines for their travels. Still, we appreciate the clever design element that adds more meaning to the logo.

SONY VAIO

Here’s a house of brands example using text to create a hidden message. Sony VAIO’s logo is sleek and modern, incorporating analog and digital worlds with its unique font. Looking closely, you’ll notice how the letters “VAIO” are cleverly designed, representing both an analog wave and the numbers 1 and 0, symbolizing the digital world. 

This subtle design choice speaks to the brand’s focus on bridging the gap between the past and the future, and it’s a clever logo that we can’t help but admire.

Subway

Subway’s bright yellow and green logo is easily recognizable worldwide, but did you know it also has a hidden message? Look closely, and you’ll spot an arrow-like shape between the “S” and “U,” representing a subway tunnel. The design suggests speed and efficiency, like quickly passing through a tunnel. While some may not notice the message, it adds a clever layer of meaning to the logo for those who do. 

Overall, Subway’s logo shows how a subtle, hidden message can enhance a design without overpowering it. So, next time you grab a sub, take a moment to appreciate the clever design of Subway’s logo.

Toblerone

The classic Toblerone logo with the Matterhorn design has a little bear in the negative space. See it now? The bear is to hark back to the company’s roots — which started in the Swiss city of Bern. 

Cool, but we’re not sure if the hidden meaning is effective in getting people to put the bar of chocolate in their shopping carts. Still, incorporating hidden meanings in logos like Toblerone is a quaint way of honoring the founder Theodor Tobler and the company’s beginnings.

Tostitos

The famous logo by Tostitos incorporates two little party-goers fighting over a single chip near a bowl of salsa. It may seem lighthearted, but there’s a bloodbath brewing. The Tostitos hidden logo design get’s straight to the point, showing how this chip is the life of the party.

Toyota

If you’ve ever driven a car, you’ve probably seen the iconic Toyota logo on the front grille. It’s hard to miss that circle with three overlapping ovals inside it. But did you know that for many people, Toyota has one of the best-hidden logos in brands of all time-periods and industries?

Some people think that the ovals stand for the three hearts of Toyota:

• The heart of the customer
• The heart of the product
• The heart of progress in technology

Another cool thing about the Toyota logo is that you can find the letters of the company name hidden inside it. With some imagination, you can see the letter “T” in the center of the emblem, and the other notes can be found by looking closely at the designs’ shapes.

Unilever

Unilever’s logo might seem like a hodgepodge of shapes and patterns initially, but it’s a clever representation of the vast range of products the brand offers. The interlocking designs create a bold “U,” emphasizing the company’s versatility and adaptability. Unilever is an example of creating hidden logo messages like a puzzle, only making sense once you see the big picture, and Unilever is undoubtedly a big player in the CPG world!

Yoga Australia

Here’s a fan favorite. This logo features an elegant design; even if you don’t necessarily recognize how they integrated the shape of the continent of Australia into the white space of the yoga model, it is still a thoroughly appropriate image. 

The Yoga Australia logo is particularly interesting because it made us wonder if an actual person performing the depicted yoga pose would make the shape of Australia in the space between the extended leg and back. We would try it ourselves, but we’re confident we’d snap every tendon in our bodies.

What We Can Learn From These Logos

Even if the above logos didn’t psychically make you want a Toblerone, to ship something overnight, or to fly to Melbourne for some lessons in downward facing dog, the logos have still been successful from a design perspective. They offer a sound lesson in using negative space for supplementary imagery: “Only use negative space for relevant supplementary imagery. Unless you can design a really cool bear, in which case, go for it.

Data-Driven Brand Development For CPG Brands

It will take more than hidden images in logos if you want a best-selling brand. SmashBrand is a brand development agency that takes a data-first approach. From your brand strategy to the packaging design, we can help you capture market share on retail shelves.