On today’s blog, we’re going to dive into the stories behind some of the world’s well-known logos. We hope you have just as much fun reading them, as much as we had writing about them for you.

Chanel

There is a lot of mystery surrounding the world famous Chanel logo that makes it rather intriguing. There have always been several questions here. The interlocking Cs – do they stand for Coco Chanel’s business and her life partner Arthur Boy Capel? Or was it inspired by the original logo of Chateau de Cremat in Nice (a famous vineyard) where Coco is said to have spent some time? 

Could it also draw inspiration from the stained glass doorways of the Aubazine Chapel in France, seeing as that was where she spent her childhood as an orphan? Or could it just be the initials of her name. No one seems to know this yet and this seems to draw people to the brand even more. The one thing we do know is that the logo remains timeless and unchanged since it first was launched in 1925. 

Dove

Dove is a brand that is globally acclaimed for its body care products, and all other cosmetics. Established in the USA in 1955, its visual identity has not changed much since its inception and has always focused on being elegant and tender. The logo that features fine lettering and the beautiful emblem was done first in the 1950s. 

The significant thing here is that they have not changed the style and the emblem much at all even today. The colour palette also remains the same. The white stands for peace and gentleness as well as purity. The dark blue hues in DOVE symbolizes excellence and reliability and the pale yellow gold is meant to evoke joy and prosperity.

Dove is a brand that believes that beauty does not present itself in just one dimension. It has nothing to do with your age, the shape and the size of your body or the tone of your skin. Dove believes that beauty is all about being the best version of you that you can be. And that serves as the inspiration behind the logo. 

Gillette

As far as famous logos go, this world renowned grooming brand’s has a lot more meaning than you would think. The boldness of the lettering provides a feeling of force and the italicization represents speed. 

These are basically two characteristics that customers who would relate ‘manly’ traits will immediately connect with. The G and i in the lettering also psychologically represent their best known product – razors, because of the diagonal cut. Gillette has over a 100 years of innovation behind what we see today. It all began when King Camp Gillette, an American businessman. He realized that his permanent blade razor was not sharp enough anymore. And his vision led to a blade that was affordable and could be sharpened on both sides. His invention went on to change the way that men could shape their looks.

National Geographic 

Have you ever thought about why the National Geographic channel has a bright yellow rectangle as the logo? Does it seem like a random choice? Turns out there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye!

National Geographic has its origins in magazines and the rectangle that you see today has all to do with the shape of that (magazine = rectangle). The brand has since diversified its offerings. But the yellow rectangle represents the brand’s strong foundation. The yellow color depicts the sun and how the brand has reach all over the globe, just as the sun does. 

The magazine began in 1988 as a journal for the National Geographic Society. At the time it had a rather dull cover with lettering on it. However in 1910, inspired to make a better impression they created a new cover with a dull yellow background that was set off by a border featuring oak leaves. As the years rolled on the oak leaves faded, and the color photography became more prominent, until they arrived at what we see today. 

Sport Singapore

The logo for Sport Singapore is all about empowering their audience to achieve the best version of themselves through sports. They also strive to bring sports into the lives of all Singaporeans. There is a lot of inspiration behind the design of this brand. For example, the positive and upward spiral in the logo, speaks all that sport can bring into the lives of people regardless of their age and their abilities.

The color bands in the logo symbolize the beautiful diversity of the people in Singapore (the country is a cultural hotpot). It also represents the massive array of ways in which sports can help all Singaporeans. It also speaks about going beyond boundaries, building communities and expressing partnerships – all of which sports stand for. The primarily red color palette depicts the passion for sports and the potential that sports hold for the building of the nation. The font that they have chosen – which is bold and italicized provides a final look for the brand that is brave and fearless.

The Messages Hiding In A Few Famous Logos

You would be surprised at the hidden messages in many of the famous logos you see on a daily basis. Check out a few of them below, and consider adding a fun touch like this the next time you’re working on a logo: 

• FedEx has a hidden arrow in their logo, between E and X. It speaks of precision, acceleration and moving forward.

• The Wendy’s logo represents home cooked food. If you look carefully, you will see the word ‘mom’ written on Wendy’s collar.

• Baskin Robbins features 31 flavors and a pink and blue logo. The letters B and R also serve as the number 31. Can you see them?

• That yellow colored arrow on Amazon’s logo? Yeah, that is not just a smile. It indicates that Amazon sells everything from A – Z.

What does all this mean for your brand?

Diving into the stories behind famous logos is a great way to get some inspiration for your own. These well-known brands got to where they are by creating a statement. So when you think of designing your logo, think about how you can make your own!