10 famous logos and their hidden meanings
This tongue-in-cheek look at famous logos suggests what they really stand for...
When it comes to logo design, you know you've succeeded when your wordmark is instantly recognisable, even when it's recreated with totally different words.
Swedish designer Victor Hertz plays on this idea brilliantly in his series of 'Honest Logos', revealing - in his own words - "the actual content of the company, what they really should be called".
Naturally, our lawyers have advised us not to comment any further. So we'll leave you to make your own mind up about whether Hertz is being unduly cynical or astutely perceptive in these logo alter-egos...
Have you seen a good logo design parody? Share it in the comments!
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Tom May is an award-winning journalist and author specialising in design, photography and technology. His latest book, The 50th Greatest Designers, was released in June 2025. He's also author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine.