Corporate Logos That Contain Subliminal Messages

I love this piece by Dominic Greene for Business Insider that I have to share part of it here. Some of these I knew, some are a cool surprise. There's always a strategy behind every design - big, small or subliminal!

The FedEx logo hides an arrow in its negative space. Even a glance subliminally inspires thoughts of efficiency and forward motion.

This cool logo for Sony's computers represents the brand's integration of analog and digital technology. The 'VA' is designed as an analog waveform, the 'IO' is binary code.

This logo, introduced in 2005, cleverly uses the company's initials to advertise its number of ice cream flavors (31).

Slightly more abstract than the other examples, the Tour de France logo contains a well-integrated biker.

See the dancing bear in the mountain? The design is a tribute to the Swiss town where the chocolate was developed.

The cleverness of this logo is twofold. The arrow points from a to z, referring to all that is available on Amazon.com, and it doubles as a satisfied smile (with dimple).

For more, check out Business Insider. 

Learn About Branding...Literally, Learn About Branding

We talk a lot about branding. But have you ever thought about "branding". Really? Like branding cattle. There are actual guidelines in designing a "brand". I thought this was really interesting as it's one of the oldest forms of using symbols to create ownership. This is from the Texas Brand Registration.  

How To Design A Brand

The best rule to follow is to keep the image simple. Simple brand designs are easier to read and are less painful for the livestock.

A brand design consists of 2 or more symbols. Many brands have 3 units in the design. Few brands have more than 3 units.

Brands records include the design of the brand and its position on the livestock.

Left or right:

Brands are based on 4 kinds of marks, used alone or in combination.

• Letter of the alphabet
• Numbers
• Lines and circles
• Pictures

Brands are read from left to right, top to bottom, from outside in.

Sometimes when the letters or symbols are joined, the word "connected" is included in the reading.

Samples:

However, often the symbols are read as though they were separated by space.

Samples:

We might know this as a hashtag these days, but it's a pigpen.

Four rails are read as pigpen

There's a whole strategy in combining characters to create a unique and ownable brand. It's not so far off from our more advanced world of branding...considering they have one color to work with. A history lesson worth learning!

Progression Of Logo Designing (infographic)

It's incredible to see how these iconic logos first started out. There's always room to touch-up at the drawing board yet remain true to the brand. 

(Design Taxi)

I'd Like To Thank My Soft Drink

All right so I'm crazy, but this is all I see when I view Pepsi's new bottle:

And ergonomically, it doesn't make much sense either. Do most people grip from lower down the bottle? Maybe they do. I don't know. But it seems perfect for practicing your Oscar™ acceptance speech.

The Verge has a different take.

Year Of The Snake Takes Its Bite At Retail

February 10, 2013 marks the beginning of the Chinese Year Of The Snake. This year is especially significant since it is considered the year of the "Black Snake", a rare breed to rear its head.  With all the hype around this year of the black snake, many marketers and brands have begun retailing what they hope will be significant, keepsake, and even indulgent items for 2013. Here's a look at few of the more interesting products we have found. 

Gold Bar With Snake Embellishment

Luxury goods makers incorporate snake motifs into their products to win more Chinese buyers. 

(China Daily)

Vacheron Constatin, The Legend Of Chinese Zodia - Year Of The Snake Timepiece 

Luxury Swiss watchmaker has created two versions, 18-carat rose gold or platinum on a 40 mm diameter hull, and sits on a Mississippi alligator strap.

 The timepieces are available as a limited edition with only 12 examples of each model, all featuring ’2013′ engraved on the back. Watches can only be purchased in Vacheron Constantin boutiques, with prices upon request.

(VC and Elite Daily)

Bulgari Serpenti Collection

A new collection designed for 2013, the Serpenti is a luxury collection of jewelry and timepieces. Coincidence or strategically planned?

(Bulgari)

DARTZ, The Black Snake 

If you haven't heard of DARTZ Motorz Company, don't worry. You're not so out of the loop that you missed another new car brand. DARTZ is a Latvia-based luxury tank manufacturer. The Black Snake, the company’s first non-armored vehicle, is based on the Mercedes GL 63 AMG and is geared only at the Chinese market. It is a high performance, all-wheel drive offerings all the usual garnishings including a diamond-encrusted hood ornament. No price has been named, but it’s expected to cost well over $1,000,000.

(Forbes)

Bentley by DARTZ

Again by DARTZ, Dartz is bringing out the Bentley Continental GT it first revealed in 2010. 

The luxury ride may look white, but it is actually sporting a snake skin print vinyl wrap.

Moleskine and Shanghai Tang

Year of the snake notebooks. 

(Shanghai Tang)

Davidoff Year Of The Snake 2013 Limited Ed Cigars

Davidoff has created a unique box set for the Year of the Snake. They have configured the design of the snake into a figure eight and each box consists of 8 cigars. The number 8 is a very auspicious number to the Chinese. 

(cigar inspector)

Starbucks Gift Card

Even Starbucks has released a gift card for the Chinese New Year - in the US. The card even comes in a special red envelope - a Chinese tradition is to give money to those younger than you in special, lucky red envelopes. 

(Starbucks)

Nike Year Of The Snake 

In celebration of 2013 as the Year of the Snake on the Chinese lunar calendar, Nike introduces a Nike Basketball and Nike Sportswear collection of Chinese zodiac footwear inspired by Kobe Bryant and the Year of the Snake respectively.

(Nike)

Estee Lauder Year Of The Snake

Limited edition, snake skin enameled Year of the Snake powder compact. 

(Estee Lauder)

Vans Old Skool "Year Of The Snake" 

Keeping the popular vintage model, the upper sees a slight edit as the branding, tongue and heel receive a faux snakeskin rework. The Old Skool ”Year Of the Snake” is both stylish and ceremonial, adding celebratory flare to the directional skate brand. Available in five colorways — ranging from yellow, turquoise, navy, red and purple.

(HB)

Build-A-Bear Workshop

Yes, even Build-A-Bear workshop is now offering a Build-A-Snake for 2013. (It's out of stock online already!)

(BAB)

Godiva Year Of The Snake Chocolate

GODIVA's limited edition milk & white ganache blend is infused with black and smoked tea in dark chocolate. Its delightfully embossed with a snake in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Only sold at select L.A. GODIVA boutiques in Costa Mesa, Brea, and Arcadia.

Really? Only in LA? Ugh! 

(Godiva)

 Peninsula Hotel

Yes, even hotels are offering special Chinese New Year's packages. 

The Peninsula Hotels is attracting affluent travelers to its properties in Asia-Pacific for the Chinese New Year holiday with hotel décor, culinary events and packages.

The brand’s properties in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing, Bangkok and Manila are each providing guests with a unique display and activities to help them celebrate the holiday Feb. 10. 

(Luxury Daily) 

So you can see, the Chinese New Year is a pretty big deal not only to the Chinese but also to brands and marketers. It's a way to capture the attention of the Chinese on 12 year rotating cycle of animals associated to each one of us. Luxury marketers seem to love this opportunity since it is limited to 12 months, the Chinese are very superstitious and the new year and zodiac animal is a significant aspect of the culture, and the Chinese are spending! But you can see the wide range of brands that take part in this marketing strategy. Out with the dragon and in with the snake! 

Porsche, It's A Lifestyle

Porsche is best known as the world renowned luxury sports-car, re-phrase, dream-car, to most people. But Porsche is really a whole lifestyle brand. Thanks to If It's Hip It's Here, here's a look at some of the other products from Porsche.  

Porsche Magnetic board with vintage image and 5 magnetic cars, $175, buy it here

911 GTE R Chronograph Watch, $740  buy it here

Porsche Piggy Bank, $70, buy it here 

2013 Porsche calendar "Mega City", $48, buy it here

Porsche Computer Mouse, $115, buy it here

Porsche Kid's Bike, $430.00, buy it here

Porsche Wrapping Paper, $7, buy it here 

Porsche Design Chopsticks, € 75,00, buy them here

Porsche Design Candle, € 60,00, buy it here

Porsche Design Running Shoes, € 350,00, buy it here

Porsche Design Twin Bag, For more information, go here. 

Porsche Design Shisha (hookah or bong), € 1.350,00, buy it here 

P.S. all of these items are on my holiday wish-list, so feel free to splurge on me! 

(Thank you to If It's Hip, It's Here for collecting all of this in one spot.)

Eat Candy. Smell Like Roses.

At first glance, this is one of the craziest things I have seen, and I see a lot of wacky edibles, especially in the Japanese market. Perfume candy? Then thinking about it further, why is it so crazy? We are what we eat right? And it's just the same as when we eat garlic and end up smelling like garlic. So why can't there be a candy that does something similar but resulting in a more pleasant aroma? Innovative, yes. Branding, a big miss.

Introducing Deo Perfume Candy. Deo Perfume Candy contains geraniol, the main component in rose oil. Once ingested, the geraniol leaks through one's pores creating a perfume effect. It is the creation of US company Beneo and Bulgarian confectionary firm Alpi. It is currently sold in Bulgaria and other Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic and Hungary and online in the US via Amazon. However, Deo is looking to hit shelves in the US this year with a plan for wider distribution. 

My suggestion would be to re-brand, re-name, and re-deisgn the packaing before the big push to market in the US. In the current state, it is too reminescnet of femine protection and the name Deo is to close to deodorant. A big turn-off. It's a niche product that if presented correctly, could have novelty potential.

(Beneo) 

It's All In The Name

The Sunday New York Times had a great piece called "If the Name Gets in the Way, Change It" in the business section. There's a nice case study about a company that was called "Ms. & Mrs." which was constantly being misidentified as "Mr. & Mrs.". So after countless times that the press and even consumers misread the name, they decided it was time to rename the brand. As producers of small emergency kits for women that include tools to help a falling hemline, earring backs, breath freshener, blotting paper, etcetera, the new name of the brand is Pinch Provisions. The new name and brand design is definitely more fitting...these are brightly colored pouches made especially for women in a "pinch". There are some other great examples in this article. 

"There are various reasons to rename a business. Beyond making the name easier to pronounce, they include new ownership or a desire to rejuvenate a brand or to do away with negative associations." NYTimes

At Toniq, our naming process goes through multiple rounds of in-house, consumer, and field testing. Our lists may start big and broad but then through strategically thought out processes of ensuring the name resonates with the brand, brand equity, and consumer relavance, we determine the best names for companies.  Check out some of the brands we have named on our Clients+Case Studies page.