Why does the Baskin-Robbins logo hide a 31? 10 symbols, decoded

Visual symbols are making a comeback. Audiences are getting better at decoding icons, which raises the bar for logos. When companies sit down to craft a good one, they must make sure it’s memorable, iconic, and simple enough for a child to draw. Of course, the best logos will also contain information about the spirit of the brands they stand for. Let’s take a look at the meanings behind some of the most interesting brand emblems.

Sirens are a symbol of allure. It’s fitting that they should be the iconic crest of one of the most famous coffee brands in the world. Designer Terry Heckler chose to refer to the exotic origins of "Coffee-Tea-Spices" and its seafaring traders through this image, inspired by a 16th-century maritime Norse woodcut. This was also to match the spirit of the original name: "Starbuck", a character in Melville’s famous Moby Dick.

The logo of the two-tailed siren has evolved since the brand’s creation in 1971. You’ll notice that the official version until 2011 used to have the Starbucks text wrapped around it. The need for text became less relevant with the international success and fame of the brand. Now, the smiling siren alone is enough to represent Starbucks.

Land, sea, and air: Those were the three terrains Mercedes-Benz hoped to dominate. The three-pointed star that is the emblem of all its vehicles symbolizes the company’s prowess at building motors for transportation in the three fields.

The logo was designed by Paul and Adolf Daimler, the sons of Mercedes’ co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler. They based the idea on a star their father had once drawn on an old postcard, marking their home: to them, this stood as an inside wink to their family. For a few years, the logo incorporated a laurel ring around the star representing victory. This was eventually replaced by a simple circle, which led to the enclosed three-pointed star we know today.

Can you see the bear? In case you never noticed, there’s one hidden in the shading of the mountain. When Toblerone was introduced in 1908, co-creator Theodor Tobler stated that the Swiss Alps had inspired him to give the chocolate bars their iconic triangular motif. The bear was incorporated in honor of the heraldic emblem of Bern, where the chocolate was produced. Its figure is hidden in the design, which allegedly represents the iconic Matterhorn mountain.

Unfortunately, in 2023, the brand announced its need to modify its legendary logo. Switzerland no longer allowed the inclusion of national symbols in the brand when the company relocated its production to Slovakia.

Have you ever been intrigued by the logo of one of the most famous media brands in the world? Why does it look like a buzzing neon sign?

Since its inception, TikTok has sought to inspire creativity and connection in its users. Because it was, at its core, a music-based platform where people would dance, move, or sing, the logo was purposely designed to evoke the feel of music, rhythm, and movement. Hence, the "T" shaped like a musical eighth note and the vibrant lines on its sides. These were added to recall the sensation of joy and dynamism of live concerts and to emphasize the concept of TikTok as a "stage."

The French luxury sports fashion brand is easy to spot. The green crocodile always stands out in their famous plain tennis shirts.

But why a crocodile? The symbol is straightforward. Creator René Lacoste was a famous French tennis player. One time, before a match, the athlete bet his team captain a crocodile-skin suitcase that he would win. After this, the American press jokingly nicknamed him "The Crocodile." French fans continued to call him that, admiring his attitude on the tennis court. Eventually, Lacoste designed and wore the iconic tennis shirt with an embroidered crocodile, which he later sold as a product, giving birth to the company.

The pink-and-brown logo of Baskin-Robbins might remind you of strawberries and chocolate, but more flavors are hidden in it. 31, to be precise. The pink digits in the "B-R" are there to remind you of the 31 different ice creams the company had to offer when it was born, back in 1945. 31 was the resulting number after brothers-in-law Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins merged their respective ice cream parlors.

Still, since its creation, the company has gone from having one flavor for each day of the month to developing an array of over 1,400. That’s around one flavor for each day for three years and seven months.

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) didn’t need an eye-catching logo back when it was just a radio network. There was a time when the black serif letters "NBC" were enough to represent it. It all changed, however, in the 1950s when TV programming in color emerged, and RCA, which owned NBC, wanted to promote the purchasing of color TV sets.

To symbolize the new era of TV, NBC transformed its logo into one featuring a peacock surrounded by vibrant, multicolored feathers. The original version showcased a rainbow of 11 hues. Years later, the drawing was simplified and the feathers were reduced to 6 so that each would represent a different division of the network: news, sports, entertainment, stations, network, and productions.

Guinness beer has been produced in Irish territory since 1759. Back in 1862, the company chose the heraldic symbol of Ireland to label their ales. The design is that of a specific harp, called the "Brian Boru harp," which is on display at Trinity College Dublin today.

Guinness as a symbol is so ingrained in Irish culture that by the time the country was independent and the Free State Government of 1922 had to officialize the State emblem, the particular image of the Irish harp was already taken. If you pay attention, you’ll see that the harp in Irish coinage has its straight edge facing right, and Guinness’s has its edge facing left. This was the solution they arrived at.

Have you ever seen the very first Apple logo? It was created in 1976 by co-founder Ronald Wayne. It was a sketch illustration in full detail of Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, in front of a radiant landscape, surrounded by a flowing ribbon with the words "Apple Computer Co."

Beautiful as it was, the image was hardly representative of an innovative technology-developing company. A year later, designer Rob Janoff reduced the whole concept to the now iconically simple outline of the bitten apple that we all know. The detail of the bite was just added for scale so that people wouldn’t mistake the fruit for a cherry.

Very few brands have a logo so famous that it gets its own name. But that’s the case for Adidas’ "Three Stripes." The trademarked symbol of three parallel lines already traced the sporting footwear designed by Adolf Dassler’s brand in 1949. Although this was initially an aesthetic decision to make the shoes stand out, eventually the three bars were incorporated into the logos.

Over the years, Adidas has created different logos to represent its different branches, like its Originals or Performance products. Whether it be the staggered lines symbolizing the challenge of climbing a mountain or the trefoil version representing the brand’s diversity of apparel, every image of Adidas is crossed by the three iconic lines.

In the heart of communication

Don’t get lost in translation: Learn about 10 untranslatable words!

Image: Edurne Tx

Translations have made it possible for us to access an endless amount of information available in the world. And for many professionals in the field, there are no such things are "untranslatable" words. However, languages have a way of putting a whole concept within a few letters assembled together and even though we can describe it, there are no direct translations that make it possible to transfer all the glory behind them. So, we’ve gathered 10 words from different languages that show how each language has a charm of its own.

Image: Joe Roberts

Ever shared a look with someone where neither of you wants to make the first move, but you both know what you want? That’s mamihlapinatapai, a word from the Yaghan language of indigenous people from Tierra del Fuego.

It describes the moment when two people are waiting for the other to take the first step towards something they both desire. This word, which even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the "most succinct," describes how subtle, and sometimes awkward human interactions can be. Mind you, it’s not always about the romance of a love spark!

Image: Carlos Fernandez

Technology has made relationship bridges much shorter, but there’s nothing quite like seeing an old friend after a long time apart, and the Basque word aspaldiko reflects that feeling perfectly.

It expresses the joy of reuniting with someone after ages, and if you try to translate it "long time no see" is a full understatement.

You can also use it to greet someone, "Aspaldiko!" can show how thrilled you are to be catching up after a while. Joyful words indeed and we could all use a little more of this word in our lives, don’t you think?

Image: Toa Heftiba

Have you ever run your fingers through someone’s hair as a gesture of affection? Intimate and loving, the feeling is unique and the Brazilian dialect of Portuguese has a word for it. That tender act is called cafuné in this beautiful language.

It’s a simple yet intimate gesture, often between people who love and trust each other. The word itself has roots in the Yoruba language, which was brought to Brazil by African enslaved people, yet another proof that language can carry deep cultural history. From a mother soothing a child or a partner offering comfort, cafuné conveys a soft kind of love that words alone can’t fully capture.

Image: Atlas Green

Do you enjoy going for a walk? It’s a good way to reset our brain, and we all need that at some point in our days. Well, as long as the weather is appropriate, right? If you’ve ever taken a walk on a windy day to clear your head, you have experienced uitwaaien, you just didn’t have the word for it!

This Dutch word means "to blow out," and it refers to the refreshing practice of walking or jogging in the wind to relieve stress and recharge. Any walk? Not necessarily, it especially refers to walks in cold, blustery weather, but it works year-round for anyone who loves the feeling of wind on their face, anyway. So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, why not go out and get a good uitwaaien?

Image: Glen Noble

Are you a book lover? We don’t mean to strike a chord, but how many books in your library are still on your "to-be-read" list? Every book lover has been there, we all buy more books than we can possibly read.

The difference is that the Japanese have a word for that: tsundoku. It combines two concepts which are tsumu, meaning "to pile up," and doku, meaning "to read," describing the habit of letting books accumulate unread.

Don’t worry, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. It’s actually a sign of your love for books and the endless curiosity that keeps you collecting them. If this sounds like your bookshelf, don’t worry, you’re in good company. After all, you can never have too many books, right?

Image: Steven Lewis

You know that feeling when you’re trying to speak a foreign language you barely know? Too many words for a feeling so clear, and so relatable. Fear not, the Japanese language is out to save us once more: They call it yoko meshi, which literally translates to "horizontal meal" and makes no sense at first sight.

It’s a quirky way of describing the stress of trying to converse in a non-native tongue, like you’re eating a meal sideways, which is awkward and equally difficult. We’ve all been there, especially when traveling or meeting new people, knowing the words in theory but fumbling under pressure. Yoko meshi captures that mental exhaustion that comes from not just speaking, but worrying about saying the right thing.

Image: Cece Hristova

Who doesn’t melt in the sigh of a puppy? The cuteness bar goes over the top when you see a little puppy taking their first steps or sleeping, right? Well, if you can relate to that feeling of wanting to squeeze them, you need to know the word for it.

That’s gigil, a delightful Tagalog word from the Philippines. It’s not simply joy or excitement, but a whole mix of emotions, like being overwhelmed by adorableness. Gigil is that irresistible urge to pinch cheeks or let out a high-pitched "aww!" Do you know what we mean?

Image: Liana S

If you’ve ever looked out the window on a sunny winter day and thought, "It looks great out there!" only to step outside and instantly regret it, congratulations, you’ve experienced gluggaveður.

This Icelandic word means literally "window weather," and it’s as funny as it sounds: It describes those days when the weather seems perfect from indoors but is deceivingly harsh once you’re outside. It’s the kind of cold that makes you gasp, despite the bright sunshine. Icelanders, who deal with this often, know better than to trust a sunny day in winter without checking the forecast!

Image: Erik Odiin

For those of us who always enjoy, love actually, travel, the German word fernweh will resonate deeply. It describes a longing for far-off places, similar to wanderlust, but with a stronger, almost painful desire to be somewhere else, can you identify the feeling?

It’s that of being restless, like the world is calling your name, and you just have to answer, to put it in poetic words. It’s the opposite of homesickness, which pulls you toward familiar comforts; fernweh pushes you toward the unknown, to new adventures. Do you relate to that?

Image: Jamie Brown

Ever kept eating after you were full, simply because the food was too delicious? We know we have! In Georgia, (the country, of course) there’s a word for that: shemomedjamo, which literally means "I accidentally ate the whole thing."

Accidentally might not be entirely true, but it refers to that moment when your stomach is signaling it’s had enough, and at the same time your taste buds are demanding just one more bite. It’s a common feeling when enjoying the flavorful cuisine of Georgia, known for its rich and hearty dishes. We’ve all been guilty of this, haven’t we?