What is hidden in the Amazon logo? Did you notice the arrow between the letters in FedEx, or the bear in the Toblerone mountain? We see countless logos every day. But how we look at these logos and truly seeing them are completely different experiences. Which direction the crane on the 500-won coin is facing, which foot Johnnie Walker's Striding Man in Scotch whisky puts forward, we usually do not notice. Logos speak quietly at the edge of our vision. They are messages without words. An unspoken philosophy. Until we discover them, logos wait.
Johnnie Walker: the gentleman who changed direction
Johnnie Walker's Striding Man was born in 1908. In the first drawing, the gentleman held a cane and moved left. For 92 years, he walked only to the left. The gentleman's figure itself was the brand identity. A gentleman walking toward tradition, looking to the past. Then in 2000, Johnnie Walker made a historic decision. It changed the Striding Man's walking direction to the right.
This was not a simple design tweak. It carried the meaning that Johnnie Walker, which had walked toward tradition, was attempting a change to the right, symbolizing the future and progress. The direction of the logo's stride reflected the philosophy and the spirit of the times of corporations. Along with the "Keep Walking" campaign, it became a case showing how a logo goes beyond a mere symbol to visualize a corporate vision.
What came next was even more interesting. For International Women's Day in 2018, Johnnie Walker for the first time put a female character, "Jane Walker," on a limited-edition label. A brand icon that had existed only as a man for 110 years was expanded to a woman. If the Striding Man's change of direction to the right was progress toward the future, the arrival of Jane Walker was a visual declaration of how inclusive and open that progress is.
Hidden stories: the philosophy in the negative space
The hidden devices of logos become clearer in the "negative space." FedEx hid a right-pointing arrow between the "E" and the "X." The arrow is far more powerful than the slogan "We run forward fast and accurately." Even without explanation, direction, speed, and accuracy automatically come to mind. The arrow is not a graphic element but a metaphor for motion. It perfectly embodied the identity of logistics corporations in a single symbol. Words fade, but the image remains.
The Amazon logo says a lot with a simple curve. The yellow curve starts at "a" and points to "z." It is the message "we sell everything from A to Z," and at the same time, a smile. Without drastically changing the typography, it expresses both "infinity" and "satisfaction." It is Jeff Bezos' grand ambition compressed visually.
Toblerone hid its hometown in the mountain. A bear standing on its hind legs is hidden in the Matterhorn. This bear symbolizes Bern, Toblerone's hometown. Bern is called the "city of bears," and the place name itself means "bear (Bär)" in German. Even as it became a global brand, a small hometown breathes in the logo. A single bear hidden in the mountain. It is not a mere design element, but a way for the brand not to forget its roots.
Hershey's Kisses hid a sideways product shape in the negative space between the "K" and the "I" of the logo. This is a deliberately intended design in the logo-making process. Once seen, it becomes an image you never miss again. A logo does not simply show the brand name as letters; it actively hides the product itself. Waiting to be discovered.
Gestalt psychology: what our brain completes
Behind our ability to find such hidden elements is Gestalt psychology. Gestalt psychology explains that in the process of perceiving images, we combine fragmentary elements and form a larger whole on our own. We do not simply see; we try to complete even what we have not seen. This principle is the most essential psychological background of hidden logo design.
* Figure-ground The FedEx arrow is not drawn separately. But the moment we look at the negative space between the "E" and the "X," the brain reads it as a "meaningful shape," not a mere empty space. It is the experience of the background suddenly becoming the figure.
* Closure When we encounter an incomplete shape, we automatically try to fill it in and complete it. That is what happens the moment the "o" in the Tour de France becomes a bicycle wheel. Our brain creates even what it has not seen "as if it were there."
* Continuity Like the arrow heading from Amazon's "a" to "z," when a line or direction continues, we automatically interpret that flow. With a single curve, we sense both the path and the goal.
The moment these three principles operate, our brain gains the satisfaction of "I completed this." Beyond a simple visual experience, we feel the joy of creating meaning ourselves.
Why our brain looks for what is hidden
Why do brands hide messages in negative space? And why do we want to find what is hidden?
First, the joy of discovery. When we notice something on our own before someone teaches us, we feel a secret connection with the brand. A strange intimacy as if sharing a small secret—this is the emotional bond a logo creates. Second, the visual delivery of brand values. Instead of long slogans or explanations, a single symbol can speak the philosophy. This is why the FedEx arrow is far more powerful than the sentence "We run forward fast and accurately."
Third, the viral effect. The question "Did you know this logo hides this image?" spreads by word of mouth. A brand becomes a living story without spending a penny on advertising. Consumers become brand evangelists themselves, sharing the joy of discovery with others. This is the most powerful marketing tool in the age of social media (SNS). More fundamentally, the human brain rejects what is incomplete. We automatically fill the gaps, connect fragments, and seek meaning. Messages hidden in logos stimulate this instinctive desire. So once seen, it becomes impossible not to see again. Our brain has already learned the shape.
The legacy of discovery: a logo is a conversation
A logo is not a simple picture. It is a small book filled with countless stories we have not yet read. Sometimes it contains corporate history, sometimes a cleverly hidden message, and sometimes the spirit of the times is reflected. Those stories together create brand identity and are imprinted in consumer memory. A good logo is conveyed without speaking, felt without being seen, and once discovered, never forgotten. Because we complete it ourselves.
The design intended by corporations, the meaning discovered by consumers, and the negative space where the two meet. That is where the soul of a logo resides. Behind everything visible lies an invisible intention. The moment we figure that out, we become readers of the brand. A logo is the last hieroglyph of our time and the oldest form of conversation.