Double the meaning, double the fun
“It seems to the viewer to be a private acquisition, a personal discovery, possibly made beyond what was obvious to everyone else.” — Bruno Munari
Using a sound with two meanings can grow like a seed in the mind of an observer, working on the subconscious, to create a positive, lasting effect.
The power of negativity
Some of the most iconic logo designs are more than what they appear to be. Goodwill’s logo is both a face and a lowercase “g.” Baskin-Robbins has a hidden “31” representing the thirty-one flavors they offer.
Now take a look at the FedEx logo. It can be seen all over the highways of the U.S. At first glance, it seems to be a fairly innocuous logotype design. But between the “e” and “x” is an arrow hidden in the negative space. Lindon Leader, the lead designer of the FedEx logo explains how it came together:
“A handful of the other designs contained arrows, but none were hidden. I thought, okay, there’s nothing really compelling about an arrow, … but if it remained hidden, there might be an element of surprise, that aha moment.”
So he readied his design pitch, keeping this hidden element secret even from his own team of designers. But Lindon Leader was hoping to get caught:
“When I previewed the mark along with a few others with the global brand manager, she asked, ‘Is there an arrow in there?’ She saw it, and it was game on!”
Some of the best logo designs use negative space to flavor their logos with hidden meaning.
Whether it’s the arrow hidden in the FedEx logo or the spot illustrations of Richard McGuire scattered throughout the New Yorker like Easter eggs, you can hide an idea in plain sight, waiting to surprise and delight.
Joy in the discovery
Design subtlety, such as the use of negative space, can create longevity as hidden elements continue to delight long after their initial reveal. It gives an opportunity for the audience to participate. This brings an added joy to the experiencing of it.
Bury your sonic treasure
BevMo!, a beer and wine dealer, buried a hidden element in their sound logo. It’s the sound of a bottle cap opening, “Psssh!” tuned to various notes to create a melody. While their melody alone is catchy, the hidden element, relevant to their product, makes their sound logo even more substantive and memorable.
Suppose a bank composed their mnemonic using an ATM sound or a telecommunications company uses a phone dial tone. In your designs, see if you can find a sound that can be buried like a sonic treasure waiting to be discovered.
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