The meaning behind the names and logos of some of the world’s most famous brands

Do you know what the Amazon logo means? Or what inspired the author of the Android system logo? Behind the names and logos of products, brands and companies there is always a message for the consumer and a meaning. And that is the topic of this post.

We, from Incrível.club, invite you to discover with us the history and details that influenced the creation of the names and logos of some of the most famous brands on the planet.

According to Davis Bradham, the inventor of Pepsi (1867-1934), Pepsi, a mixture of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil and nutmeg, promoted digestion. And therefore he decided to name the product after the word “dyspepsia” — term for digestive discomforts and problems.

The soda logo has changed several times during its more than a century history. Today, it is a circle made up of two halves — one red and one blue, separated by a white “wave”. The curious thing is that the company paid the equivalent of more than 4 million reais for this design🇧🇷 According to the authors, it contains many references to the Earth’s magnetic poles, to the Pythagorean Theorem and to the theory of the golden ratio. However, its most obvious reference is to the colors of the United States flag.

One day, Spaniard Enric Bernat noticed that parents often scolded children for having their hands all dirty after eating sweets. So he came up with the idea to sell candy on sticks and this simple but ingenious decision made him quite rich.

The name of the lollipop comes from the Spanish verb “chupar” (of the same meaning in Portuguese). As for the logo, everything gets more interesting — it was designed by none other than Salvador Dalí at the request of the manufacturer. The painting genius drew a chamomile flower in the colors of the Spanish flag. The shape of the logo was chosen for a reason: it was decided that the design would be on the top of the candy, and not on the side, so, seen from above, the chamomile flower would fit as well as possible.🇧🇷 Although over time the logo has undergone some changes, it has kept its appearance almost unchanged.

Few people know, but the name of this Taiwanese company has an interesting history. Initially, the founders wanted to name it after the winged horse of Greek mythology Pegasus🇧🇷 But later, they gave up the first 3 letters, so that your company… was among the first in the telephone directories, arranged in alphabetical order.

Most of the names of the products of this chain of stores of Swedish origin come precisely from the language of the Nordic country. As for the name IKEA itself, the situation is a little different. The company’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad, created an acronym using the first letters of your first and last name along with those of the Elmtaryd farm name🇧🇷 where was born, and from the parish of Agunnaryd. The logo itself is very simple, and its colors are a reference to the Swedish flag.

According to one version, the company’s co-founder, Andy Rubin, was once called an android because of his love for robots. So when he started to develop his own operating system, he ended up deciding to honor it with that name. Android logo was developed by designer Irina Blok. She said that, at first, the perfect image to represent a robot did not come to her mind. Then, as unusual as it may be, what inspired her for the logo were images of a bathroom door, which usually indicate male or female. Thus came the little green man with antennae on his head.

The name of this famous coffee shop was created almost by chance by its founders. One night, at a meeting, its creators began to think of words that began with the letters “St”, as they sounded strong and suited to their idea. Suddenly, someone picked up an old map, on which the team noticed that a city called Starbo was represented. The partners immediately remembered one of the heroes of the Moby Dick novel, named Starbuck. And so the name of the coffee shop came about.

But why is there a mermaid in your logo? The fact is, in the Moby Dick storyline, the hero Starbuck was first mate of your ship🇧🇷 That’s why the founders decided to keep the marine theme by choosing the image of a two-tailed mermaid from Greek mythology as their logo.

Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram (the other is Brazilian Mike Krieger), is passionate about photography. More specifically, he loves the snapshots taken by Polaroid cameras. The word instant is translated as “instant” in English. The social network allows you to send photographs as messages, as if they were the old telegrams (in English “telegram”). So: Instant + telegram = Instagram🇧🇷

The company’s logo, in turn, was inspired by its name — a slightly modified representation of the Polaroid OneStep instant camera, which suited the idea of ​​the social network perfectly. Later the logo received some changes and became more minimalist, but the shape of the Polaroid camera remains represented in the icon that represents Instagram to this day.

British billionaire Richard Branson is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, owning a conglomerate of companies, ranging from record companies to airlines. However, his unusual firm name is the result of chance. At a party, a woman jokingly suggested that Richard name his company Virgin. (which in English translation means “virgin”). Apparently, he took the suggestion to heart and gave his companies this rather extravagant name. It is said that what helped Richard build his empire was both his courage and his determination. The boldness is clear even in small episodes like this.

Jeff Bezos launched his online bookstore in 1994 and immediately adopted the name Amazon in honor of the Amazon River, one of the longest in the world🇧🇷 Over time, the diversity of products sold on the store’s platform expanded to a gigantic scale, and Amazon became one of the largest Internet retailers in the world.

The company has already changed its logo several times, and the one currently used has an interesting meaning. First, Jeff’s dream was for his store to sell literally everything — from the letter “A” to “Z”. And that’s why the arrow in the logo goes from the letter A to Z🇧🇷

Second, this same arrow is shaped like a smilesymbolizing Amazon’s constant desire to satisfy its customers’ needs to the fullest and, even if virtually, to greet shoppers with a friendly smile.

Known worldwide, Unilever is responsible for the production of more than 400 brands. Therefore, the logo of a company as large and diverse as this one must be universal, clear and recognizable. So, Each symbol represented in the letter “U” of the logo has its own meaning🇧🇷 For example, the plants signify the company’s commitment to preserve the Environment; waves are a symbol of purity and freshness and so on.