Comments on: FedExtra

By: Lance

Lance — Sat, 27 May 2006 05:40:25 +0000

No problem, HP. At least your commute won’t be long for long!

By: HP

HP — Fri, 26 May 2006 12:27:08 +0000

thanks a lot. now i find myself staring at that stupid arrow on every one of those fedex trucks i pass on my long commute, and its driving me nuts!

By: traci

traci — Thu, 25 May 2006 21:43:41 +0000

I read this this afternoon and I saw a FedEX box in my moms office and I was like arrow. I get the symbol now

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 25 May 2006 19:17:51 +0000

Since I heard about it a couple of years ago, I always notice it now. I heard that little kids who can’t read yet tend to spot it before adults, who spend their time reading the logo.

By: The Wisdom Cube

The Wisdom Cube — Thu, 25 May 2006 18:48:46 +0000

Yep, one of my friends told me about a year ago; pretty nifty.

By: mdog

mdog — Thu, 25 May 2006 14:36:18 +0000

i’m glad i’m not the only one who just recently noticed the arrow [about two months ago, after i read about it somewhere].

i think it’s brilliant.

By: Lance

Lance — Thu, 25 May 2006 11:39:07 +0000

Absolutely! Wow, you’re quick, Wisdom Cube. Check it out:

Isn’t that sweet? After a quick web search, I found this interview with Lindon Leader, the logo’s creator. According to Leader, the arrow was very intentional … and to make it look right, he had to create an entirely new typeface.

It’s also interesting to read why he demanded that the arrow remain subtle and unannounced:

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.” To have filled in the arrow, or to somehow make it more “visible” would have been like Henny Youngman saying “Please take my wife” instead of “Take my wife. Please.” Punch lines that need to be explained are neither funny nor memorable.

Sweet.

By: The Wisdom Cube

The Wisdom Cube — Thu, 25 May 2006 06:25:55 +0000

The arrow between the last “E” and “x”??