Logos Gone Bad – Big Brand Logos with Hidden Meanings

Ivan Widjaya·April 12, 2012

bad business logos — Big brand logos gone bad

A logo defines a brand. It is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a brand or a product.

Which is why of course that companies invest so much time, effort, and money to create the perfect logo that symbolizes everything they stand for. Unfortunately, even logos that are designed with the best of intentions can go wrong at times.

It is not just company logo’s that have gone wrong, signs and billboards have also gone the exact same way. One particular and incredible example was the design for child abuse, at one angle (child height) the message read “If someone hurts us phone and we will help”. The logo was created for children under 10 and could only be seen from their height, for adults it read a completely different message, this just goes to show the amazing creativity that goes into getting messages out. To see some creativity at work visit: bsccustom.com.

Here’s a quick look at three logos that have hidden, unintentionally messed-up meanings.

Table of Contents

Starbucks Coffee – The Siren

The Implied Meaning

A magical mermaid-like figure with flowing hair and fish tails. The mermaid-like figure represents a siren, a mythological being that personifies the ocean. Starbucks chose the siren as its logo as it thought the figure captures the spirit of Seattle, a city known for sea sports and water fun.

The Hidden Meaning

A cursory look at Greek Mythology reveals that sirens were extremely dangerous creatures. They would sing songs, on hearing which sailors would become obsessed, lose their way, crash into the rocks, and die a horribly painful death.

So it’s a good thing that the siren on the Starbucks logo is inanimate. Otherwise, she may lure you into doing something stupid. Like buying a cup of overpriced coffee without thinking twice. Oh wait…

Trojan Condoms – The Trojan Warrior

The Implied Meaning

The Trojans were highly respected, feared warriors. They represent masculinity, strength, and power. So, Church & Dwight Company thought it would be a good idea to name their condoms ‘Trojan’ and use the Trojan warrior as the logo.

The Hidden Meaning

Despite the fact that the Trojans were fierce, battle-hardened warriors, the first thing that comes to mind for most people when they hear the word Trojan is the Trojan horse. You know, the big, wooden horse that the Greeks built to defeat the Trojans? The Greek invaders hid inside the horse to sneak into the city of Troy, came out, and massacred everyone in sight.

This is also the reason why certain types of malware are called Trojan horses. They look simple and harmless, but sneak hidden code onto your computer that can steal your information or reproduce themselves and infect other computers too.

Basically, a Trojan is something that looks safe, but is actually quite unsafe, unreliable, and downright dangerous. Not exactly the perfect choice for a logo of a condom brand.

The Symbol of Medicine

The Implied Meaning

A short staff with wings entwined by two serpents, the rod of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing.

The Hidden Meaning

It is not the rod of Asclepius at all, but a Caduceus. It is the staff carried by Mercury, who according to Roman mythology was a guide of the dead and protector of liars and thieves. It represents deceit, fraud, and greed – qualities that you do not want to associate with doctors.

The rod of Asclepius has a staff with one serpent. The Caduceus, on the other hand, has a winged staff with two serpents. Due to a slight misunderstanding, the latter was chosen as the symbol of medicine. The rise in medical malpractice complaints, exploding medical costs, and the shambolic state of US health care, however, in hindsight might suggest that it may not have been a misunderstanding after all.