From Amazon to BMW: the meaning behind the world's most iconic logos

A good design is key to guarantee the success of a product you are trying to sell. Although advertising seems to be everywhere these days, the reality is that there are logos that are so memorable that they are already part of pop culture. However, what these logos try to convey may not always be perceived by the public - some are so subtle that you'll be surprised to learn how ingenious they are. Get to know the meaning of some of the most famous logos in the world!

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Beats - This is one of the simplest logos and one of the most creative ones as well. The circle around the 'b' was made to represent the head of a person. Consequently, the letter 'b' is not only the initial of the brand but also the representation of headphones on a person's head.

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NBC - The NBC logo is clearly a peacock, but do you know why? In the early days of color TV, the American station wanted to persuade black and white TV viewers to change to color. NBC has even used the slogan 'proud as a peacock' to show pride in its new color scheme. The colors also represent each division of the American television station.

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Amazon - The arrow that starts in the letter 'a' and ends in the letter 'z' represents the wide variety of products that can be found at Amazon - it's like they're saying they have everything from 'a' to 'z.' In addition, the arrow also shapes as a smile, which is intended to represent customer satisfaction.

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Baskin Robbins - The famous American ice cream shop hides the number 31 in the letters 'B' and 'R' of its logo. This is because Baskin Robbins offers 31 different ice cream flavors. The logo has vivid colors and a dynamic font to symbolize fun and energy.

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Adidas - The famous sports brand's logo was modified in the 90s to represent a mountain. Not because the brand wanted to sell mountaineering material, but because it wanted the logo to represent the obstacles that an athlete can encounter and overcome.

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Gillette - The cutting precision of the Gillette blades is well represented in the brand logo. The space between the letter 'G' and 'i' serves to represent this; a subtle touch that usually goes unnoticed.

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Google - This is probably one of the most well-known logos in the world and has a very creative meaning. The green represent Google's 'think outside the box' ethos: it served as a way to ignore design rules and put a secondary color on a primary color palette.

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Apple - There are several theories about the true meaning of this logo. Some suggest that it makes reference to the fact that Isaac Newton discovered gravity with an apple falling on his head. The company wanted its product, the 'Macintosh' computer to be a kind of apple that illuminated its users. Others believe that this apple is the apple that Eve bit, representing the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

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Continental - Continental's logo is easy to explain. The proximity of the letter 'C' with the letter 'o' created the image of a tire, their main product.

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Audi - The four rings represent the four companies of the manufacturer Auto-Union, which merged in 1932. These are DKW, Horch, Wanfer, and Audi.

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Toyota - All letters of the word TOYOTA can be found in the small logo if it is divided by parts. The symbol was also made to represent a bull's head.

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Toblerone - The birthplace of the famous chocolate is represented in the logo, the Matterhorn. In addition, it is also possible to see a bear in the logo. This is because Bern, the Swiss city where the brand was founded, is also known as the 'City of Bears.'

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Unilever - The Unilever logo was a creative way for the company to highlight the fact that it works with a wide variety of products. Some of the brand's main products can be found in the letter 'U.'

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Carrefour - The French name 'Carrefour' means 'intersection' in English. This explains the two arrows in the logo design. In addition, many people never notice that there is a 'C' in the white space of the logo.

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FedEx - The FedEx logo is one of the simplest and also one of the most clever in this gallery. The space between the letters 'E' and 'x' form an arrow. This arrow represents the effectiveness and speed in which the company processes its orders.

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LG - What most people don't usually notice in this logo is that 'L' and 'G' form a blinking face. This gives the brand a more human facet and makes it more inviting and appealing.

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BMW - The colors of this logo are inspired by the flag of Bavaria, where the company's first factory was based. Some people believe that the logo is also a representation of an aircraft's propeller blades because of the brand's link to aviation in the 1920s.

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Le Tour De France - This logo is full of little tricks. The 'R' represents the shape of a cyclist, while the letters 'O' and 'U' make the shape of a bicycle. In addition, the yellow circle represents the sun and indicates that the famous cycling event only happens during the day.

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Pinterest - The Pinterest logo is one of the easiest to understand. The logo of the famous photo-sharing website is meant to represent a pin. This is because Pinterest is used for cataloging image ideas and 'pin' them onto your social media activity.

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Wikipedia - In the logo's Wikipedia page it is explained that the globe is incomplete, in order to represent a puzzle that needs constant search and addition of information.

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Paramount - In this image you can find 24 stars. These stars represent the 24 actors who were officially connected to the famous studio when the logo was created in 1917.

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Hyundai - According to the website The News Wheel, the famous Hyundai logo is not just the first letter of the brand name. The logo was made to represent a customer and a representative of the company shaking hands.

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Sun Microsystems - This logo was created by Vaughan Pratt, who despite not having previous experience in design, was able to create an ambigram. An ambigram is a typographic drawing that always reads the same way, regardless of direction. No matter what direction you choose to read the Sun 'cube,' the meaning is always the same.

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Cisco - The giant telecommunications and network equipment company chose to put a digital 'signal' in the logo. But the reality is that this signal is not just to understand what the company does. The image of the sign also appears to be the Golden Gate Bridge, to represent the city where the company was founded, San Francisco.

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Lacoste - The brand's founder, tennis player René Lacoste, was known for wearing a crocodile skin suitcase. This earned him the nickname 'Alligator' by the media. When he built his own brand, he decided to take advantage of it and implement it in the logo.

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Haagen-Dazs - Contrary to popular belief, the name of the ice cream company is not Scandinavian. In fact, the name does not mean anything in any language. It's just two made up words that seemed appealing to the American public.

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Domino's Pizza - The single domino dot in the logo represents the first pizzeria restaurant that was opened in 1960, called DomiNick's. The other two dots represent the two establishments of the franchise that opened shortly after, in 1965.

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Dell - This logo has no official explanation, however, the common belief is that the 'E,' which is crooked, represents a floppy disk - the company was created in 1984, when these were still widely used.

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Mercedes-Benz - The three-pointed star represents the company's domain in terms of quality and style in everything it produces, whether it's meant to be used on land, water, or in the air. The brand itself made a video showing this.

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From Amazon to BMW: the meaning behind the world's most iconic logos -

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