The Hidden Arrow

September 14th, 2009

by John R. Sedivy

One of the most amazing things about life is how something can be hidden in plain site. I can walk a certain path through town, encountering people and businesses and take note of some aspects yet others remain hidden. Just when I think I know everything about a person, business, or subject, something surprises me!

This isn’t a sinister plot or a purposeful deception, it’s due to ignorance on my part. As I learn more through people, experience, and books I discover new things all the time. In many cases this new found knowledge sheds new light on something I have experienced many times over, and therefore allows me to experience it in a new way.

Take the FedEx logo as an example. Have you ever noticed the arrow embedded within the logo? First take a look at the logo in the upper left hand corner of this article. Next look at Figure 1 below which has the hidden arrow highlighted between the “E” and the “x”.

Figure 1. FedEx Hidden Arrow Exposed

I had learned about this while reading BrandSimple by Allen Adamson. According to the author the embedded image was purposeful in that it conveys “from here to there, the world on time, this confident arrow signals reliability.”

The arrow not only reinforces the brand but also makes the logo stand out from a distance further promoting the brand. Very clever.

That’s the beauty of education – the more I learn, the more I realize there is much that I truly don’t know.

What are you currently missing that is staring you right in the face?

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding