Mangled Visual Metaphors

Everyone wants their logo to mean something – to represent some vital part of the company, product or service. Fair enough – that’s usually the point of the exericise, though often easier said than done. Creating a graphic image that tells a specific story about a sometimes fairly specialized business activity can be a daunting task and always runs the risk of becoming a mangled visual metaphor. Especially if the logo is designed in a ‘closed loop’ and even more so if created as part of a do-it-yourself project by someone without any real experience in design. Mangled visual metaphors often feature pictograms of human figures (the ubiquitous character with a circle for a head and a three-pointed graphic indicating his/her body) and often the activity being illustrated can very easily be interpreted as something else. This often involves logos that end up looking like naughty bits, or characters participating in activities that are much less than G-rated. As with many aspects of design, it’s always best to show you, rather than tell you. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at these (very real) logos -

Roh-oh. Now, we know that the pediatrics logo (1) is supposed to represent a caring physician offering comfort to a child (though that ain’t exactly what it looks like) and despite looking like the pair has been caught in flagrante delicto, we can sorta figure out that the top right image (2) depicts some sort of dental procedure. While (3) is meant to illustrate an oriental house set against a rising sun, it looks, ahm, almost pornographic, The computer services logo (4) is supposed to feature a mouse but can easily be confused with a certain part of the male anatomy, and while I understand that the dance instruction pictograms (5) are supposed to show a happy couple dancing the night away – can’t see anything but an image that would be better suited as an ad for a topless beach (look again). No doubt the designers of all these logos started out with only the best intentions, but somehow, somewhere, went seriously off the tracks and the mangled metaphors weren’t caught until the logo was in wide circulation. They knew exactly what they wanted to depict, and in their minds-eye, probably accomplished the task admiringly. They know what they want to see. Trouble is, most people who are viewing logos for the first time have no preconceived notions about what it is they’re supposed to be seeing – and they’ll interpret the logo into an image that they can recognize. And once someone has seen an alternate interpretation of your logo – especially if it’s racy – they will find it next to impossible to ‘unsee’ the naughty version.

What about some mainstream logos? Fortune 500 and the like? Well, here’s a fun test. Take the Toyota logo – unveiled in 1996 to commemorate the introduction of the Lexus brand of vehicles. I’ve always seen a guy in a cowboy hat. See it? Good. Now, you’ll have a hard time ‘unseeing’ it. Here’s the rationale behind the design, right from the horse’s mouth – Toyota’s Web site:

The current Toyota Mark consists of three ovals: the two perpendicular center ovals represent a relationship of mutual trust between the customer and Toyota. These ovals combine to symbolize the letter “T” for Toyota. The space in the background implies a global expansion of Toyota’s technology and unlimited potential for the future.”

A mangled metaphor? I’d argue yes. Toyota were expecting a lot from a few ovals, and while the people responsible for the design were probably quite impressed that they managed to crowbar some much metaphorical goodness into a car logo, I can’t see anything but a round-faced dude in a stetson….

Related posts:

1. Visual Cliches
2. Throwing in the visual sink
3. Logo design – what not to do
4. Speaking of design competitions

Tags: rants, tutorial