INGRID THOFT
Quick! Do you see it? Don't worry if you don't. I didn't either.
Not until it was pointed out to me did I see the "31" in the baskin robbins logo. Like Op Art, now that I see it, I can't unsee it.
Nowadays, writers are often told they need to develop their "brand," which got me thinking about the brands that litter are visual landscape, brands that are so recognizable we'd know them anywhere. I wondered about the most recognized brands and the secrets that they hold (like a giant "31"!).
Another logo featuring a symbol that completely escaped my gaze was FedEx. Did you know there's an arrow in the logo? I didn't!
The only thing hidden in the current Starbucks logo is the siren's breasts. If you stroll by the first Starbucks in Pike Place Market in Seattle, the sign shows the original siren.
There are various stories about the logo's evolution from a siren to a crowned princess. Some claim her hair was rearranged for the sake of modesty. Others claim it was a copyright issue related to the original woodcut of the siren. One thing is certain, she seems to have gotten younger over the years!
Did you know that McDonald's golden arches logo was originally modeled after the shape of the restaurants? And that today, the name "McDonald's" rarely appears in the logo, given how recognizable the golden arches are?
Another logo that requires no words is...wait, I'm not going to tell you because I'm sure you'll know both it and the name it goes by. Talk about a successful brand: the logo gets its own name!
