Sqwink Album Art Blog

I could bet you that at least 95% of people in the Western World know what the Walt Disney logo looks like. The weird this is, when iI first saw it as a child, I thought it said “Walt DisneP”…not Disney!

I’m blogging about it know because I saw it on a DVD case for Toy Story or something, and it really bugged me enough to write this. Logo’s are supposed to be concise in visual communication - and that “Y” definitely looks like a “P” NOW..never mind when I was a child. because it is a really strong brand, everyone knows it’s Disney without even reading the logo text. I even read recently that it’s because there’s a hidden “666″ in the letterforms (in the W, I and Y).

Whatever the case, i think this logo is in serious need of a facelift to say the least. So, Is the Worlds’ most famous logo is the Worst? No, but it’s one of “Logo-kinds” biggest mistakes…

I assume many of you have read before about the Fedex Logo (Fig:1) and its’ hidden subliminal arrow.

If you don’t know about it, basically, there’s a hidden arrow embedded in the logo (see Fig:2), which I have highlighted in purple for clarity: If you would like some more info on this arrow, there is an interview with the Fedex Logo designer on The Sneeze Blog.

But what does this arrow mean? There’s various articles on the web about how great this logo is - because of this hidden, some say subliminal arrow. Well, I don’t want to follow the sheep, as it were, but I agree. The Fedex logo is great because of the arrow - and here’s my explanation why.

The arrow is a metaphor for all Fedex’s ideals and message in one single iconic form. Coupled with the fact that the majority of people don’t actually notice it (except sub-consciously because of the Logo’s subliminal nature). The arrow can encompass many facts, notions and positive messages about Fedex - the most prominent being displayed in Fig:3…in a nutshell:

The point I’m making is that subliminal messaging in logos is subjective to each and every individual. One viewer may inherit this information:

Whilst another, something more promising:

There’s my take on the whole Fedex Logo subject. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. If you think my “truth” on this logo is wrong…please “Point” me in the right direction.

Article by Andrew Kelsall BA, Sqwink Design