The world’s most famous logos remain imprinted not only on products, but on our minds too. Some are easily understood, but most have stories and mysteries behind them that make them harder to decode. Here are some such mysteries unveiled.
Audi
Have you ever wondered about the interlocking Olympic-style rings on the Audi logo? They stand for the merger of four firms, namely Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. These four together form the company we know as AUDI. The design was adopted as the new logo during the 1930s.
Starbucks
What does Mermaid Forits have to do with your latte? Well! Starbucks founders named the company after a character in the nautical novel Moby-Dick. They were keen to push the seafaring theme so they opted for a two-tailed siren design based on a 16th-century Norse woodcut for their logo.
Amazon
It is very easy to miss the meaning behind the arrow that underscores the Amazon logo. The arrow in the shape of a smile is for the million dollar smile of their customers. This arrow points from A to Z to imply that the company is a friendly, welcoming, one-stop-shop that stocks everything that you need and your money can buy.
Sony Vaio
For the tech geeks out there, Sony’s Vaio logo is an underappreciated masterpiece. The ‘V’ and ‘A’ form an analog symbol, while the ‘I’ and ‘O’ combine to make a binary digital signal. It represents Sony’s transition from the analog to the digital world of technology.
Unilever
The Unilever logo is a combination of the letter ‘U’ and 24 significant icons. Each is iconic to the company’s values and goals. The bee signifies the firm’s pledge to protect the environment and the heart denotes its commitment to improve people’s health.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the world’s smartest online encyclopedia has a suitably smart logo. The unfinished globe is a jigsaw puzzle, made up of pieces that bear characters from different writing systems. The globe represents Wikipedia’s multilingual property and its huge global reach.
Porsche
The equestrian theme of Porsche’s instantly recognizable logo depicts a black stallion. The logo is based on the coat of arms of the German city of Stuttgart, where the company is headquartered. The horse takes centre because the city was actually founded as a stud farm in the early 1950s.
Baskin Robbins
This American ice cream franchise is famous for the 31 flavours it offers. Thus the number 31 is hidden in the company logo. Within the letters ‘B’ and ‘R’ 31 is created. The logo was redesigned in 2007 to cleverly ‘hide’ the numerals. 31 has always featured on the logo since the company was founded in 1953.
