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What makes a logo great? Is it the colors? Maybe the shapes used? Or maybe it's something that works on a whole different level, hidden from plain sight? We're talking here about the logos you've seen so many times, you probably stopped paying attention to what they actually mean.

Check out these 15 famous brand logos which, despite being well known, still manage to hold a secret or two within.

Which one surprises you the most? Let us know in the comments!

(h/t: demilked)

#1

Toyota

Toyota

This one is extra cool because the logo actually includes every letter used in the company’s name.

Toyota Report

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yvonne_bernal avatar
Yvonne Bernal
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've often wondered about this logo.... and now I know. How creative!

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Thiago ßauer
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Toyota logo is a pagan bull-head idol symbol. The bull-head relates back to Taurus the astrology sign and also the Age of Taurus (4500 to 1900 BC). It is one of the 4 land animals of the zodiac. Idols with a bull head are some of the most prominent rival gods to Christ in history. The pagan god Moloch (Molech) of the Old Testament was depicted as a bull-head god.

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Cesi Baca
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah I don't think so.....this is reaching a bit. The "T" actually looks nothing like a T. Same with the Y

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Costel Ionache
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

if you want to find something you believe is like you think , you will find

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Jack Hudson
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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Anja
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Toyota started by making sewing machines, hence the logo is a thread going through a needle

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Anja
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Toyota started by making sewing machines, hence the logo is of a needle going through a thread

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Gary Kemp
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's actually not this at all - Toyota explain it on their website: http://www.toyota-global.com/showroom/emblem/passion/ The giveaway is that no company would spend (probably) millions of dollars on a new logo, only for you to have to chop part of one of the ovals off to get the last letter!

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Flora Polvado
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Toyota.com-"represents the unification of the hearts of our customers and our company's"(paraphrased) I like the letter one better.

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#2

Toblerone

Toblerone

"Toblerone" chocolates come from Switzerland and they really make it show not only by having Bern (city where Toblerone is made) in the name, but also a bear's silhouette placed inside the mountain logo.

Toblerone Report

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Muriel Zora
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When Mr. Tobler invented it, he knew that the swiss market would be too small and he designed the brand name for export: tobler One, the number one chocolate. (that's what they told us at the history museum in Bern during a special exhibition on bernese inventions.)

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#3

Fedex

Fedex

"FedEx" hid a small arrow between letters E and x, which represents the forward momentum and efficiency.

FedEx Report

#5

Beats

Beats

Letter B in the red circle shows a person wearing Beats headphones.

beatsbydre Report

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Yvonne Bernal
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think they should have left at least the little eye on the logo... it is cute though.

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#6

Amazon

Amazon

The obvious bit is the arrow connecting a to z, but what’s usually missed is that the logo is smiling.

Amazon Report

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Terri-Lynn Macartney
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually always thought it was just a smile! Never saw the arrow, so never made the "a to z" connection.

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#7

Baskin Robbins

Baskin Robbins

Ice cream maker is famous for producing 31 different flavors of their product. They even put that number in their logo.

Baskin Robbins Report

#8

Quiksilver

Quiksilver

It’s actually a stylized version of famous woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Quiksilver Report

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Dan Burge
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are you guys serious!? Its a mountain and a wave. Clear as day. Snowboard and surf gear. Not "hidden" at all.

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#9

Pinterest

Pinterest

The letter P is actually a pin.

Pinterest Report

#10

Hyundai

Hyundai

Car manufacturer’s logo stands for the first letter of their name, right? Not only so, it also represents a successful deal between a car dealer and a customer.

Huyndai Report

#12

London Symphony Orchestra

London Symphony Orchestra

The letters make the shape of a conductor of the orchestra.

lso.co.uk Report

#13

Unilever

Unilever

Unilever’s logo is actually made up of icons representing different aspects of sustainable living.

unilever Report

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#14

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo

Italian car manufacturer's logo is jam-packed with stuff, the key feature being a serpent eating a man.

alfaromeo Report

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Yvonne Bernal
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What the author DIDN'T explain is this: The red cross is typical Christian symbol of medieval heraldry and used extensively throughout the crusaides. Back then, it didn’t mean “medic”, it meant: Run for your life. The man in the serpents mouth is a bit more controversial. It’s a symbol called a biscione, and the man in the image is alternatively described as a child (the modern interpretation) or a Saracen or Moor (aka: a Muslim). So the whole serpent motif is all about the Christians Crusaders’ defeat of the infidels. Hey - I didn't make it, I'm only trying to explain it. lol

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#15

Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines

Clever use of typography merges both letters, N and W, into one.

Northwest Airlines Report

#16

Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette

Double T in the title creates The Eiffel Tower.

Galeries Lafayette Report