We know that companies try to trick us all of the time, whether it’s with “new and improved” claims or just bright, shiny packaging. But there are also more subliminal — and clever — ways that they go about hoping to win your brand loyalty.
Some of the world's biggest companies pay big money to designers, advertisers, and psychologists to dream up creative logos that convey an image you might not initially see.
How many of these “hidden” images revealed in plain sight did you initially miss?
FedEx
from DesignPorn
FedEx (in Arabic)
from mildlyinteresting
Wendy's
via: Shutterstock
This Wendy's logo appears to say the word "Mom" in Wendy's collar, suggesting that their cooking is like Mom's home-cooked meals. You know, if mom made square hamburgers and served ketchup in small paper cups.Pittsburgh Zoo
via: Shutterstock
The white space in this logo pops out and reveals a gorilla and a lion staring each other down. While the ape is quite a beast, my money would still be on the lion. He is the king of the jungle, after all.Chick-fil-A
via: Shutterstock
The Chick-fil-A logo incorporates a chicken into the "C." Although this isn’t very hidden, it is still pretty clever, more so than their attempts to have people believe that their meals are nutritious.Datingly
What I admire about this logo from a dating app is that, yes, they stuck in a heart (the universal symbol for dating). But also? that little chip off the D at the bottom makes it look almost pixelated — a very cool touch for an app.Clover Learning
Of course a company called Clover Learning would have a clover hidden in its logo somewhere, but I think placing it on top of a diploma is a pretty perfect spot.PhotoCake
This is another one of those rabbit-duck type logos — if you look at it thinking it's a camera, it looks like a camera. I f you look at it thinking it's a cake, it looks like a cake. It can even shift mid-look if you start thinking of the other option.The Talk
This logo is for a foundation that helps fathers have "the talk" with their sons. It's a perfect visualization of both sex and a conversation. Plus, it kind of makes you feel uncomfortable, just like having the talk is for ever single dad out there!Brickwork Productions
This film production company leveraged their name to create a logo that conveys the workman-like nature of making movies. (Just because it's art doesn't mean it's not hard to make!)Lionbird
While the lion part was, to me at least, pretty obvious, I won't lie to you. It took me a minute to find the bird. I wonder if other people saw the bird, and then had to work backwards to see the lion?Movie Mummy
Another movie production company hiding strips of film in their iconography, Movie Mummy imagines a long-dead Egyptian Pharaoh wrapped in celluloid.Dragonfly Barbershop
Is this the coolest icon of all time? It very well could be. Here we see a dragon fly being built out of barber tools. If you'd told me this icon was made before the company was named, I'd believe you.Coffee House
Doesn't this just look cozy? Not only is this a striking logo, but it has a coffee bean hidden in its background. This logo absolutely makes me long for a cup of joe on a rainy day so I can snuggle up inside with a good book.Dream Family Dental
Yo, this logo is both a bunch of teeth and a family. If this dentist's office could promise my family would be close enough that our bodies could be mistaken for a molar, I know where I'd take my oral-care business.Pyre
There's a play button tucked into that flame, and not only does it convey the music player functionality of the app, it also lets the viewer know not to be afraid of the flame. Unlike most fires, this one is nice to touch.Key Elite
This logo depicts a king's crown with a prominent jewel at its fore that secretly doubles as a key. Do you think actual kings ever did that — hid keys in their crowns? It would make it easier to slip into their secret kingly wine studies.Bird Travel
I just love fascinating logos like this one. The interesting use of negative space — in this logo depicting a location pin — immediately draws my attention, making my brain do a little bit of light, fun puzzle-solving to figure out what exactly I'm seeing.The Musical Dog Show
On the other hand, sometimes it's fun to just see an obvious idea articulated well. This dog, with his music notes for paws, looks fun and makes me feel good about the idea of going to see the Musical Dog Show (which is about all you can ask for from a logo).Parrot Location
Another logo combining a bid with a GPS pin, this logo would simply look like a cool (if not weird-looking) parrot if we weren't being told there was a location aspect also in play.Fly High Creative
This is less a hidden logo — it's clearly a brain being flown through the sky. But what I think is so cool about this mark specifically is that it's done in this illustrative, comic book-y style. To me, that just screams "creativity!"Nomad Infrastructure
An incredible mark from an infrastructure company, Nomad used the "N" in their name to act as sides of buildings — the same kind of buildings they presumably build.Flight Cover
Any goofball with a trial version of Photoshop can put an airplane in an umbrella. It takes a real designer to make it look this aesthetically pleasing.Chat Cat
Is this the cutest logo you've ever seen or what? It's got everything: a cat, a word bubble, and an aesthetically-pleasing way to put them together.Statera
Listen, I'm not going to try to convince you this is the coolest or most intricate logo ever designed. but it does contain that weird "S" shape we all used to draw in middle school, interlocked with another weird "S" shape we all used to draw in middle school. And I will always be glad to see that weird "S" shape we all used to draw in middle school.Rocket Scale
This housing company drew a little house, but didn't stop there. In adding the rocket, they not only referenced their name, but also hinted at the upward trajectory this company hopes to achieve with its work.Coffice
The best logos seem so obvious in retrospect, and this logo is a clear example. They did nothing but add loops to some letters, but in doing so, they made viewers think of both coffee and community — exactly what the company is trying to achieve.Love Pulse
To be honest, I never realized how much headphones look like the letter "P." I will never make that mistake again.Lighthouse
You ever see a logo that can only be described as "tasty"? This is exactly that — the placement of the dot and color shift indicating an actual lighthouse is absolutely, unequivocally tasty.Grill Bear
Here's another logo that I very well could have overlooked its second hidden item. It sort of just looks like a bear with a few gray hairs on its chin, doesn't it?Matador Coffee
This is perfect. I wouldn't have thought this logo was anything but a bull if I wasn't being told it was coffee, but that coffee cup would be nice-looking all on its own.Paris Pizza
Again, any company that has anything — and I mean anything — to do with France simply must contain the Eiffel tower in its logo. Sorry, I don't make the graphic design rules.Fox Printing
Boy oh boy do I ever love this design. Somehow, they are both subtle and in-your-face about the fox element? I don't know how they did it, but it makes this the kind of logo you have to pay attention to.Green Door Restaurant
Another example of the power of design, all this creator did was line up the type just right, change some colors and angles on a few of those letters, and they would up with something lovely.Trash talk
We've all read enough comics to know what that little tail means, haven't we? What better way to symbolize talking trash than to add to a garbage can a well-understood icon for talking?NBC
via: Shutterstock
Considering they’re often referred to as “the Peacock Network," among other things, this one is rather obvious. But the symbolism of the colored feathers represent each division of NBC (from when the logo was first designed, as there are more now) and the head of the peacock is looking right, meant to symbolize looking forward (to a show that can compete with “Mad Men" and “Modern Family.")Amazon
via: Shutterstock
Not only is the Amazon logo smiling, but there’s also an arrow starting at the “a" and ending on the “z" to indicate that Amazon has everything from A to Z that you don’t need but will buy so you spent enough to qualify for free shipping.Baskin Robbins
via: Shutterstock
Here's the scoop: Famously known for its 31 flavors (supposedly so that a customer could have a new flavor every day of the month) Baskin-Robbins makes it known in their logo.Cisco
via: Shutterstock
Hidden within the waveforms in the Cisco logo, you'll find a subtle little representation of the Golden Gate bridge — a clever nod to the communication company's San Fransisco roots.Nintendo Gamecube
via: Shutterstock
Maybe this one isn't necessarily hidden per se, but man if Nintendo's wonderful little console the Gamecube didn't have a clever logo. It's a "G" that is also a cube! That was, like, the Gamecube's whole deal — that it was a cube!Hope for African Children Initiative
Not only does the logo for this Africa-focused charity show the continent it's looking to help, it also shows a silhouette of a grown-up and a child. As the Hope for African Children Initiative is working to help children orphaned by AIDS, this imagery is a quiet nod to the group's motivation.Adidas
via: Wikimedia Commons
We've all either worn or seen someone wearing Adidas shoes in our lives, but it's very possible you never took in the hidden meaning of the three stripes the athletics company uses as its logo. Well, those stripes are arranged to look like a mountain — the kid of obstacle its customers will be able to overcome, so long as they buy Adidas shoes.via: Shutterstock
Google's original logo breaks a pretty important design rule — never use more color than you have to. Indeed, there is one green letter in the word that could very well feel off, since there's no green anywhere else to compliment it. But that was Google's plan all along — the "L" is green because Google wanted everyone to know they weren't afraid to break the rules.Subway
via: Shutterstock
In the Subway logo, there's an arrow going one way and another arrow going the other way. And you know what else goes one way and also another way? Actual subways.Minnesota Wild
I'm from Minnesota and saw this logo for the state's hockey team, oh, I dunno, 800 times before I realized it wasn't just a collection of trees at night — it was in the shape of a mountain lion-esque beast. Now that's wild.Toyota
via: Shutterstock
The Toyota logo is doing a lot of work conveying multiple meanings. Not only do these two rings form a "T" — like "Toyota" — they also hint at the interconnectedness of Toyota's products.Museum of London
from MapPorn
Levi's
via: Getty Images
The Levi's logo is secretly shaped like a pair of Levi's jeans' pockets. Did you ever notice that? I didn't, and I wear a lot of Levi's jeans. (They're great for painting.)Spartan golf club
from logodesign
Sony Ericsson
There is both a hidden "s" and a hidden "e" in this logo — just check out the gray space that the orb is making. Almost makes you want to buy a mid-2000s phone, doesn't it?Uniliver
from DesignPorn
Continental
via: Wikimedia Commons
The "C" and the "O" of "Continental" make a tire. Since Continental is a tire retailer, you have to give it u to them for putting their product right there in the logo.Slack
from logodesign
Patreon
from logodesign
Elefont
It's both an "e" and an elephant trunk! I both love it and am terrified by it. (Whenever an elephant's around, we are all in danger of being stepped on and therefore crushed into people mash.)Ed's Electric
Such a simple plug and receptor are represented in this logo, and the negative space forms an "E" without having to alter anything about the original design! Pretty incredible.Circus of Magazines
Circus of Magazines #Logo Design http://t.co/QNvqqyOwEY— LogoLion (@LogoLion)1396887068.0
Barcode
from BarcodePorn
Nintendo Wii
via: Wikimedia Commons
If Nintendo's Gamecube had a logo that told you what it was, the Wii has a logo that tells you what it wants you to do. The two "i"s represent two people, sitting side-by-side, doing what Nintendo was hoping you'd do with your Wii: playing games together.Iron Duck Clothing
from @siahdesign - Iron Duck Clothing • Logo for a UK based clothing company. #vaniladesign #adobe #adobeillustra… https://t.co/s7Es9kaRZ1— Vanila Design (@Vanila Design)1467323494.0
Killed Productions
Logo Design for Killed Productions by Unknown #LogoOfTheDay #logo #design #webdesign #creative http://t.co/vNqiu2lz3R— EGORILLA (@EGORILLA)1381222265.0
Pencil
#LogoInspiration: Pencil by @reghardt – Hire quality #logo and #branding #designers at @JoinTwine. #logodesign… https://t.co/WeNptv5lCK— Twine Logos (@Twine Logos)1504308452.0
AirBnB
via: Wikimedia Commons
There is a lot going on in this here AirBnB logo. First of all, that loop in the middle? It functions both as a head (for an AirBnB user) and a map pin (for the location of the place that user will be staying). Going father, that loop is part of a heart (implying users will love their stay), and the whole thing is turned upside down to make it the letter "A" (for AirBnB, natch).National Geographic
via: Shutterstock
If you've ever spent any time in your school's library, you've paged through a National geographic. But have you ever thought about that little gold rectangle they use as their logo? The idea behind it is that it is a doorway into another world... (A world of learning!)Eagle Consumerables
While it does make it slightly harder to read, the super-cool use of an eagle's outline as an "E" makes this logo so engaging. It's hard not to look at it!San Diego Zoo
via: Shutterstock
What is it about zoos and incredible, subtle logos? The San Diego Zoo continues the trend by turning the letters "Z" "O" and "O" into an animal's paw print. These zoo guys are just killing the logo game over here.Eighty 20
Maybe you don't know binary perfectly (hey, don't feel bad, I didn't either), but if you did, you'd see that the logo here for Eighty 20 actually contains the binary patterns for 1010000 and 0010100... otherwise known as eighty and twenty.Formula 1
from formula1
Tostitos
via: Shutterstock
While you were shoving chips in your face you might have missed that there was an actual fiesta going on in the Tostitos logo. Yes, the two t’s are partying over a bowl of dipping sauce that dots the “i." Olé!Atlanta Falcos
via: Shutterstock
The NFL team's logo is much more than a really cool looking bird. Rather, it’s a really cool looking bird in the shape of a big letter “F" for Falcons and other four-letter words disgruntled fans might utter throughout the season.Goodwill
via: Shutterstock
Because giving (and saving) should make you happy, the “G" in “Goodwill" is zoomed in and cropped to form a smiling face.Sun Microsystems
via: Shutterstock
In this case, look directly at the sun (and only in this case, unless you want to burn your eyes out). Actually, look directly at the diamond and you’ll see it says “Sun" in every direction.Le Tour de France
via: Shutterstock
There is a cyclist in there, literally, on "Tour." Notice how the “o," “u," and “R" all come together along with the yellow dot to form the image. Immediately after posing for this logo, he was taken in to pee in a cup to be tested for performance-enhancing drugs. Results are pending.Hershey's Kisses
via: Shutterstock
Want a free Hershey Kiss? Check the front of the bag. OK, it’s a bit disappointing that it’s not actually a piece of chocolate, but if you look between the “K" and the “I" you just might find an extra one, at least visually.via: Shutterstock
Considering the point of Pinterest is for users to “pin" things like projects and recipes they’ll never create to virtual boards, it makes sense that the logo incorporates a pin into the letter “P."VAIO
via: Shutterstock
At first, all you see is modern typography, but there is actually a hidden meaning of Sony’s VAIO logo. The first two letters represent an analog signal and the last two are the 1 and 0 of the digital world.Hartford Whalers
from DesignPorn
Toblerone
from pics
McDonald's
via: Shutterstock
Everyone knows about the Golden Arches and that the “M" stands for “McDonald’s." But what you might not know is that in the 1960s design consultant and psychologist Louis Cheskin said customers unconsciously recognize the logo as “symbolism of a pair of nourishing breasts." I think the dude just needed a date. Pretty clever, if you ask me.The Bronx Zoo
from DesignPorn
Beats by Dre
via: Shutterstock
Here's a logo you've undoubtedly seen all over the place. Can you see the hidden image in it? It's a happy person wearing beats headphones! I can only assume those headphones also have a clever logo, and so on, and so on...Northwest Airlines
from DesignPorn
Kölner Zoo
Coca-Cola
via: Shutterstock
This one might take some work since the hidden image is not one most Americans would be familiar with. But hidden in the Coca-Cola logo is actually the flag of Denmark. This wasn't the original intention, but once they discovered the Danish flag, which has been named the happiest country on Earth, they set up a media stunt in Denmark's biggest airport where they welcomed people with flags. Why they didn’t welcome them with Coke is still a mystery.The Guild of Food Writers
from logodesign
CNN (in Arabid)
from learn_arabic
Hyundai
via: Shutterstock
Obviously, the Hyundai logo is a stylized letter H, but that's not the only meaning behind the logo. It was designed to resemble two people — the customer and the dealer — shaking hands. And that's not the only vehicular logo with a hidden meaning...Subaru
via: Shutterstock
Subaru also has a meaning that you might not have realized. "Subaru" is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, also called "The Seven Sisters." That's why the stars are there. But you might have noticed there are only six stars in the logo. That's because according to tradition, one of the Seven Sisters is always invisible.Galeries Lafayette
I'm guessing you probably could have spotted this hidden image without the bright red rectangle, but it's included just in case. This logo is for a French department store chain. As you may have guessed, its flagship store is located in Paris.Gillette
via: Getty Images
Using your “razor sharp" focus, you will notice that the “G" and “I" have been perfectly cut to represent the sharpness and precision of the razors.Milwaukee Brewers
from Brewers
Quiksilver
via: Shutterstock
This is another logo with multiple interesting details. First of all, the Quiksilver logo itself is a stylized version of the famous woodblock print "The Great Wave off Kanagawa." Secondly, here's what happens when you put two Quiksilver logos together...Roxy
from logodesign
London Symphony Orchestra
I know what you're thinking. It's an L, an S, and O. Stands for London Symphony Orchestra. Nothing too special, right? Not so fast. It's actually a stylized image of a conductor raising their hands to conduct the orchestra! How do people think of these things?!LG
via: Getty Images
Feel like playing Pac-Man? All you have to do is tilt it a little to the right and then shift the “nose" upwards. Life is good.