Drive down any street in America and you’re likely to see a similar scene. Whether it’s McDonald’s golden arches, Burger King’s bun halves, or the Hardee’s star, fast food logos all have one element in common– color. Take a look around and you’ll see that most fast food logos contain one or more of the following colors– red, yellow, orange, or green; particularly the former two. That’s because, according to the color theory, these colors are known to subconsciously trigger hunger and/or induce excitement. These colors encourage guests to spend more and leave quickly– which is exactly what fast food restaurants want you to do. Just how accurate is this theory? Research has shown that people eat more in a room with warm color surroundings as opposed to consuming food in a room painted in cold colors such as blue, black, or purple. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that these colors actually suppress appetite because they are associated with foods that may have become spoiled or foods that may be toxic. Still not convinced? Take a gander at the logos below. These guys obviously know what colors work best in their line of business . Happy eating!

Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.

Wendy’s

Quiznos Sub Shop

Dairy Queen

Bojangles’

Denny’s

Sonic Drive-In

Jack In The Box

Logos tell us lots of things. In particular, they tell us who and what a business is about. The task of every logo designer, then, is to create a design that will effectively convey this message. How each of them chooses to approach this task is a different story. While some logo designers convey a company’s message in very obvious ways, others prefer to use a bit more subtlety. Designers often do this by embedding hidden elements or messages within a logo. These hidden elements and messages can be in the form of words, numbers, icons, depictions, or some other markings.

We’ve all seen the designs below millions of times. But how many of us notice the subtle messages they deliver as well? Take a look now. You may be suprised you didn’t notice these before .

If you look closely, you’ll see a hidden arrow between the ‘E’ and the ‘x’. The arrow was included to symbolize speed and precision, both attributes of the FedEx Corporation.

The arrow under the text represents happy, smiling customers, while pointing out that Amazon.com carries just about every product imagineable, from A to Z.

Most people don’t realize that the smiley face at the top of the logo is also a lowercase ‘g.’ Known as the “Smiling G”, it is used to represent both the company name and the smiles that come from helping people help themselves.

So what does this logo tell us? If you look closely at the negative space around the ‘T,’ you’ll see how many teams there really are in the Big Ten Conference.

If you look at the two ‘Ts’ and the ‘i’ in between, you can clearly see two people enjoying a Tostitos chip and bowl of salsa. This is what the company had to say about it in a press release from 2004. “Tostitos plays a role as a ‘social snack’, helping to create connections between friends and families, whether it’s at a party, during the ‘big game’, or at simple everyday get-togethers. The new logo brings to life this idea of making connections.”

Okay, this one doesn’t have any hidden messages, but it does have a hidden audio element. If you go to the homepage and click on the logo’s exclamation point, you’ll hear Yahoo!’s trademark yodel, made famous in those Yahoo! commercials from earlier days by western singer Wylie Gustafson of Wylie & the Wild West.

A brandmark is a simple yet powerful symbol used to represent a business. These symbols, often abstract, are rarely used in conjuction with any other elements, but rather used as a standalone image.

Brandmarks, like lettermarks, are better suited for companies that have an ad budget big enough to be able to educate the public on what their brandmark represents. It’s important to note here that successful branding takes years. Repeated exposure to a company’s logo is necessary in order for a brandmark to be effective. Then and only then will its viewers be able to identify the company with the brandmark. When a brandmark is effective, its viewers are able to recognize it instantly, even without the company name. Let’s see if you recognize the ones below .

A lettermark is a type of logo consisting wholly of an abbreviation — usually a company’s initials. When building a brand, companies often do so using lettermarks. This is especially true when a company’s name may be hard to pronounce, or when there is difficulty translating a company’s name when doing business on an international level.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that while the use of lettermarks can be very effective, they are not an effective solution for every company. Lettermark logos are better suited to companies that have a marketing budget large enough to allow them the time and money needed to educate the public on what their lettermark actually means.

The lettermarks listed below have been very effective in strengthening their respective company’s branding efforts, so much so that when we see them, we immediately know which companies they represent.

American Broadcasting Company

Cable News Network

General Electric

Home Box Office

Hewlett Packard

International Business Machines

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Bad logos– we’ve all seen them. Some of us may even have been responsible for creating them. Nevertheless, these design disasters tend to show up every now and then. We can spot them by their busy, cluttered, unstructured, unprofessional appearance. The designs below are no exception. They are prime examples of how a poorly designed logo can ruin an otherwise reputable company name.

Check Point Security Software – This logo was supposedly designed by the CEO’s six year old daughter. I guess that explains everything . Word to the wise, it’s generally not a good idea to let your child design the image that will represent your company. Because when it comes to potential customers, first impressions really are everything.

Instituto de Estudos Orientais – I think this one is self explanatory . Seriously though, this is supposed to be an oriental house in front of a setting sun, but I see something else entirely.

2012 London Summer Olympics – For some reason, this logo reminds me of a crumpled box of McDonald’s fries.

Sherwin-Williams – Sherwin-Williams’ earth-friendly logo. Let’s just hope it isn’t as harsh on the earth as it is on the eyes.

MobileMe – Apple’s new iPhone service. This design is way too cluttered. I’m sure the designer could have come up with just ONE icon to sum up all of MobileMe’s features.