It is often said that the best designs are ones that elicit some sort of emotion out of someone, good or bad. What do you say then with the FedEx logo? It certainly has created a great deal of emotion to me, so much so, that I chose to create a blog entry on it, do additional research about it, and feel the need to point it out to my friends whenever I am with them and see a FedEx truck. At the same time, a majority of people do not see this “visual bonus” and thus, do not experience as great of an emotional response until they do. Good design or not?

In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, I should forewarn you that reading any further may change the way you look at the FedEx logo for the rest of your life. Proceed at your own risk…

The logo design is simple, using a two color scheme with big letters, yet a closer look at the negative (white) space between the ‘E’ and the ‘x’ produces a subliminal arrow, symbolic for movement and speed. See it? Now whenever I see a FedEx truck, I feel inclined to look for the arrow and reaffirm its existance. I enjoy the amazement on my friend’s face when they finally see it.

The logo has been around since 1994. I have seen it countless times and yet I did not discover this arrow on my own. I first learned about it from a classmate while taking an introductory class in design communication, while being exposed to figure/ground relationships. Was the arrow intentional or a result of the font and spacing of the letters? The FedEx logo, which has won countless number of awards, is indeed a secondary design element that was created by Lindon Leader of Leader Creative. So is it a good design when the majority of people do not see it? Originally, FedEx wanted to bring out the arrow to leverage their “speed/precision” position but Leader was against it.

The power of the hidden arrow is simply that it is a “hidden bonus.” It is a positive-reverse optical kind of thing: either you see it or you don’t. Importantly, not “getting the punch line” by not seeing the arrow, does not reduce the impact of the logo’s essential communication. The power of the logo and the FedEx marketing supporting the logo is strong enough to convey clearly FedEx brand positioning. On the other hand, if you do see the arrow, or someone points it out to you, you won’t forget it. I can’t tell you how many people have told me how much fun they have asking others “if they can spot ’something’ in the logo.” – Lindon Leader

The logo has certainly changed the way I look at design and has inspired me to create similar emotion in everything I do