There is a hidden arrow on the FedEx logo. (If you’ve never noticed before, go and get ready to fly.)

It was actually an accident. “The most remote of our minds was an idea of ​​an arrow,” Lindon Leader, who designed the logo in 1994, said in an e-mail interview. “But in an intrinsic criticism amidst the discovery of the logo, I was interested in a design with very tight letters.”

“After a few days, I thought that if a real arrow could be entered on the letter forms, I would clearly suggest to reach from point A to point B reliably, with speed and precision,” Leader said. Said.

Still can’t see the arrow? Swipe right to reveal.

Credit: FedEx. FedEx

The leader thinks that the arrow’s power is simply a hidden bonus and does not reduce the effect of the logo, so as not to see it. But how many people see it without being told where it is?

“The dominant opinion – I heard – maybe fewer than five people find the secret arrow unhelpful. But I can’t ask how many people have fun with others and tell them how much fun they have, identify something in the logo,” said the Leader.

More than an arrow

The same company that designed the FedEx logo created another company that brightly used the negative space (the NorthWest Airlines logo (merged with Delta in Northwest 2008)) used from 1989 to 2003. The circle and arrow form a compass suitable for the northwest. However, the arrow creates a “W” along with “N”, where part of the left leg is removed.

Sometimes the hidden element blends so well into a logo design that they can be seen only when the sign is marked, like the bear hidden in the Toblerone logo.

Do you see the moon in the mountain? Credit: Ilya S. Savenok / Getty Images North America / Getty Images for NYCWFF

So is this an effective strategy for logo design? “On the one hand, yes, because these logos are trying to identify a branded product or service very economically and quickly, using humor to give a positive response,” McNeil said. Said. But today, he said, there is a flatter and more direct design trend, as can be seen from the logos of many major companies such as Facebook and Google.

McNeil’s favorite logo is Gianni Bortolotti’s design for the Italian company ED – Elettro Domestici (Italian “electrical appliances”). Using only the letters “ED” and the negative space, it elegantly forms the shape of an electric plug.

“This is a restriction model without unnecessary elements,” McNeil said. Said.

The ED logo doubles as an electrical plug. Credit: from logolog.co