Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Pointing in the Right Direction

What I love most about this logo, is the subtlety of it.  From shortening 'Federal Express' to 'FedEx' to the ingenious arrow created in the negative space between the E and x.  And while I want to congratulate the individual that figured it out and put them together, I also am regularly in ah of the complete randomness of that working out.  Pure luck really. I mean it even works that the arrow is facing in the "Right" Direction, and pushing forward not backwards demonstrating the forward movement of the company and it's delivery.  The clean, crisp typeface only helps support this idea.  The funniest thing about this logo that's get me every time, is that it was only about two or three years ago that I realized it had an arrow in it.  With a logo I liked anyway, imagine how much more I appreciated it when all of a sudden there was this arrow popping out at me.  All in all, very well done.  I would have a hard time trying to change it.

Bethany

10 comments:

Sarah Reed said...

I agree with Bethany...you can tell a good design from an ordinary or bad one when there's no reason to ever change it. It is definitely simple, yet classic. I used to see FedEx trucks (at least twenty of them!) every morning on my way to high school because there was a FedEx shipping center nearby, and every day I was attracted to the logo on the trucks and could not look away! It never failed to amaze me how they created that arrow; once I spotted it, I could not look at the logo without seeing it! I also think Helvetica was an appropriate choice for such a modern, fast-pace company, and I like the contrasting weight and color combination as well.

Unknown said...

I enjoy this subtle yet amazing part of the FedEx logo, however, it does bother me now (since the arrow is all I see) that they put the logo on the driver's side of vehicles. This makes the arrow point backwards, and kind of negates the purpose of quick, and forward moving. I kind of wish they created a solution for this problem.

I'd Rather Be Baking said...

I also really enjoy this ad because of its subtlety. I remember my friend pointing out to me the arrow between the E and X and since then thats all I can see when I see that logo. I feel that, that happens to everyone once they see the arrow. The designer probably did this on purpose. I agree with you icequeen, the choice of type was very appropriate especially because it is so legible and you do not really have long to read the logo because most of the time you are seeing them on trucks driving around.

White Chocolate said...

The creation of an arrow from the white space in between the "E" and "x" is subtle but highly effective.
I projects movement forward and speed within type without using a specialized font or any imagery.
The simpler the better and this is a great example of this motto.

pollypocket said...

I feel like every time I drive my car, I see a FedEx truck! They are everywhere! Since Bill Galyean's class, when he pointed out the arrow, I cannot help but see it everytime I see a FedEx delivery truck. I can't believe I went 18 years without seeing the arrow! No matter who is in the car with me, I always say,"So the negative space between the "E" and the "X" makes and arrow.. do you see it??"

LmBaptista said...

fedex to me is one of the most amazing designs ever... it really is suc h a great smart and clean solution to the idea of transportation, and so versatily with colour and size. i agree its a simpel but classic design. but i also agree once ou do realize the arrow that its harder to see the logo , its like an optical illusion. also some colour really rehance this effect , so they have to careful with that.

Georgia said...

The FedEx logo is so simple yet works so well. I too can only see the little white arrow whenever I look at it. Just using the two different colors to separate fed and ex instead of a space is brilliant. It is highly legible and they always do a great job of delivering packages.

skidmark said...

i agree, this is an example of a great design! for the longest time i never saw the arrow in fedex, but the subtle symbol makes a huge difference. it shows that they deliver stuff fast without bluntly having it all over their logo.

Ebee said...

I also really love this logo, i never was able to see the arrow until it was pointed out to me and now that i have found it i dont really ever see anything else. I love that because its like a secret that is cool to find out then you feel special pointing to out to everyone else and i think it was designed very well.

D'Megs said...

I never realized there was an arrow in the logo until Luiz pointed out to me, but now that I know it's there, i see it everywhere! I think it is clever and very effective.