It is now a common knowledge that there is a hidden arrow in FedEx’s logo design. A long time ago FedEx’s spokesperson James Bunn said that:
The arrow was indeed intentional as a secondary design element. If the viewer sees it, it’s a neat, interesting visual bonus. If the viewer doesn’t see it, that’s OK. It’s still a powerful logo.
The world of marketing does not work like that. There is nothing left to the chance of being seen. So I do not think that FedEx thought that it would be powerful “IF” people saw it. As most marketing and brand identity designers would tell you that a logo’s main purpose is to captivate the audience quickly. People usually do not stare at corporate logos like they were piece of art hanging at some wall in an art exhibition. People just glance over the logo and the logo design artists have just those few seconds to captivate and deliver the message.
In the same talk Mr. Bunn also explained the overall design style of FedEx’s current logo which was adapted in 1994. He said:
“The vibrant colors — including plenty of white as a background color … communicate our basic attributes . . . personal, certain, inventive, and … we know how to connect our customers in the new global economy.”
The blocky purple and orange, upper- and lower-case letters were created as the new company logo in 1994, “when we decided to modernize our entire look,” Mr. Bunn explained.“It was what customers called us anyway,” and “we could enlarge the logo in the same amount of space and create a bigger impact.” (The old logo required nine additional letters to spell out Federal Express.)
He was then asked the purpose of this hidden arrow, he said:
“The arrow is intended to communicate movement, speed and the dynamic nature of our company,”
If the purpose of this hidden arrow is to deliver the message of promptness and speedy movement of FedEx then why hide it? Why not just put it out there in open where it is more noticeable?
The hidden objects or cleverly embedded iconography in a design illustration are actually used to make the design smart and interactive. The purpose is to provide the audiences a moment of “I discovered it” which ultimately makes the design more memorable for them. Not only the design becomes more memorable, it also increases the effectiveness of the intended message.
