Clever Logos
A selection of 36 smarty pants logos that come loaded with embedded meaning
Maybe the most famous hidden-meaning logo is the one for FedEx, where the negative space between the “E” and the “x” forms an arrow … very appropriate for a courier company – and see the PS below. Here are some other logos we’ve gathered from a number of sources that are also visually clever – clustered into groups of nine.
100% Pure New Zealand
Tourism New Zealand’s logo makes very good use of the country’s natural geographic tilt.
Amazon
The customer’s satisfied smile also connects the “A” to the “Z”. They sell everything from A to Z!
Baskin-Robbins
Famous for serving 31 ice cream flavours. Can you see the number in the logo?
Beats
The “b” inside the Beats logo represents the profile of someone wearing headphones.
The Bronx Zoo
Giraffe legs and a cityscape.
Bondi Observer
Just a little wave as a nod to the beachside home of REMORANDOM sister company Bondi Observer. [Ed: Hey, it’s my platform, I’m allowed.]
Carrefour
Means “crossroads” in English. The arrows also form the letter “C”.
Black Cat
Designed by Peter Vasvari for a Turkish production company. The eyes have it.
Circus Magazines
Big top of magazines.
CodeFish
Studio brand made up from ASCII characters. Designed by Simone Penzo.
Cisco
Both homage to their San Francisco hometown (Golden Gate bridge) and sound waves.
Eight
Every single letter in this logo is made up of the digit 8.
The Guild of Food Writers
More negative space … this time a spoon within a fountain pen nib.
Flight Finder
FF with a plane as the negative space.
Hope for African Children
Adult and child joined across the continent.
Horror Films
Reel scary face.
FedEx
The negative space between the “E” and the “x” forms an arrow.
Kolner Zoo
An entire zoo in a single image.
LG
Life is Good … and the LG make a face.
Lion Bird
What do you see first, the lion or the bird?
London Symphony Orchestra
The LSO logo does double duty as conductor with a baton.
Museum of London
Coloured shapes represent the geography of London and how it has changed over time.
NBC
Introduced in 1956. Six feathers represent colour TV and the network’s six divisions. Peacock in the middle.
New Man
The logo that can also be read upside down.
Northwest Airlines
The little triangle that turns the “N” into a “W” also happens to point northwest.
Pinterest
The “P” inside a red circle also represent a pin.
Pittsburgh Zoo
Gorilla vs Lion.
Seibu
1987 design for Hong Kong Seibu by Alan Chan forms an “S” from intertwined fish.
Shift
The up and down arrows make an H.
Sony Vaio
The “V” and “A” represent an analog wave, while the “I” and “O” represent the digital signal.
Spartan Golf Club
A golfer and the profile of a Spartan wearing a helmet.
SUN Microsystems
The logo spells the word SUN in all four directions.
Toblerone [RR3:85]
Can you see the bear? The bear is the symbol of Bern in Switzerland.
Tostitos
The two t’s represent people holding a chip, and the red dot is their shared bowl of salsa.
Tour de France
The “OUR” is also someone riding a bicycle.
Yoga Australia
The negative space within the pose is the outline of the Australian mainland. Map of Tasmania not shown ;) [Ed: Australians will understand this double entendre. Check out Amanda Palmer’s video in Merkin RR2:38.]
PS: I recently came across this T-shirt design, a clever reaction to the US DOGE nonsense. I thought you would enjoy. Remo
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