Designer Creates Logos That Have Hidden Meanings And The Results Simply Amazing

Daniel Carlmatz is a designer from Sweden, and he is definitely a creative guy; he particularly enjoys getting creative with words. He recently challenged himself to make an original typographical logo every single day for an entire year.

He took common words and then added visual elements related to the word via the use of geometry, symbolism, as well as negative space. Daniel was trying to challenge himself to look at design from a different perspective—it was also an outlet for his creativity. The talented artist actually managed to complete the self-imposed challenge—he did not miss a day.

The results are definitely impressive—they are creative, but they also seem elegantly simple. However, Daniel said that the process was not at all a simple one. He admits that the project could be a struggle at times. He was not trying to spend a ton of time on the project; he would visualize the designs in his head or sketch them while he was traveling to work, and he would often finalize the designs on his way home.

There were a few words that Daniel definitely wanted to do; however, many of his ideas were the result of first having a solution.

You might have to spend a minute or two looking at Daniel’s logos before you see what he was trying to do, but the effort is worth it. For example, the word “puppy” above—do you see what Daniel did with the last two letters? Look at the negative space. There’s a puppy!

It appears to be a terrier of some sort. To me, it kind of looks like the dog token you can use when playing a game of Monopoly.

Here are many, many more example of Daniel’s fine work. We can’t show you all 365, unfortunately, but we’ve picked out some of the best for your enjoyment.

One you take a look at our selections, you will definitely want to consider hiring Daniel Carlmatz the next time you need graphic design work done. He is a true creative mind.

1. Loading

I personally like this one a lot. It is simple, and it is elegant, but it does not require too much thought. Who amongst us isn’t familiar with the loading icon? Those of us who are particularly impatient do not really like the loading icon, but we are nonetheless familiar with it. People who regularly use computers tend to see it a lot.

2. Grill

This is another obvious one, but it looks really cool. The word “ill” sort of stands out, however, and one generally does not want to think about sickness when food is concerned. That may not have been the best choice, but the logo itself is nonetheless very neat.

Foodborne illness, or food poisoning, is no laughing matter. It typically causes vomiting, aches, fever, and diarrhea. Between the years of 2000 and 2007, over 125,000 people ended up in the hospital because of food poisoning—just in the United States. Over 3,000 people died.

In Australia, about 120 people every year die as a result of food poisoning.

For obvious reasons, infants are particularly susceptible to food poisoning, which is why the World Health promotes breast feeding and the use of prepared formulas.

3. Bike

This one is extremely creative and obviously involved a lot of thought. Daniel Carlmatz is clearly a very talented guy if he was able to make the word “bike” actually resemble one.

Bicycles have been around a lot longer than most people think. They actually date all the way back to the 19th century. Over one billion bicycles have been made since then—more bicycles have been made than cars, in fact.

Improvements have been made to bicycles over the years, of course, but the basic design really has not changed much since they were introduced in Europe well over 100 years ago.

4. Nudist

This one is sort of obvious, but it is also quite clever—worth a chuckle, for sure. The “i” isn’t wearing any clothing! Scandalous. The little “i” also somewhat resembles a person, which is definitely what the artist was going for.

5. Search

While this is another obvious one, the design is quite nice. It is obvious what he was going for, and he achieved it.

6. Wolf

This is another one of the entries where you have to look in the negative space. Between the “w” and the “o”, there a clear and well done depiction of a wolf. Also, the wolf appears to be howling at the “moon” in the “o”, which I am truly embarrassed to admit I didn’t notice at first.

7. Doctor

Doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical professionals will definitely appreciate this one. It would make a great logo for a medical practice, don’t you think? I would definitely consider going to that doctor. Not many people actually enjoy seeing the doctor, as doing so usually means you’re sick; if you have to see a doctor, though, don’t you want to go to a clever one who has a sense of humor?

8. Queen

I love how the “E” actually looks like a crown when positioned a bit differently. I never would have thought about that. The little lips are adorable, too. It’s a simple depiction, but it definitely works.

9. Pirate

The little peg leg on the “R” is priceless. I admit that I did not know what it was at first, but I figured it out quickly enough.

There are a few theories out there about why pirates are associated with peg legs. Chances are it is because of the well-known sea captain character Long John Silver. He was the main antagonist of the book “Treasure Island”, which was first published in 1883. The character also had a parrot, which explains why parrots are associated with pirates. He was well received as a character, and is considered one of the book’s most complex characters.

The character of Long John Silver was inspired by author Robert Louis Stevenson’s friend. His name was William Henley, and he was also a writer. Henley lost part of his left leg—below the knee—due to an illness he contracted.

Henley is best known for writing the poem “Invictus”, but he also published many books of poetry.

10. Cup

It sort of makes you want to have a nice cup of coffee, doesn’t it? Or maybe a cup of tea? I think this one is very obvious, but you may disagree.

11. Jazz

The idea to turn the letter “J” into a musical instrument proves what a truly creative mind Daniel has. Like many of the logos on this list, this should be used commercially. There are jazz clubs out there, and one or more of them would be lucky to use this logo.

What I find particularly interesting about this one is that the saxophone is so simple, yet I immediately knew exactly what it was. That takes real talent.

While the saxophone is frequently used in classical music, it is most commonly associated with jazz music. The instrument was first developed back in 1846. The person who developed it was an instrument maker from Beligum named Adolphe Sax. He ended up receiving a 15-year patent for his creation.

12. Tetris

I really love this one, and that’s because I spent a lot of time playing Tetris during my formative years. I’ll still play a game or two once in a while.

Tetris is interesting for a variety of reasons. For one, people are still regularly playing it even though it came out over 30 years ago. It is available on multiple video game consoles and most mobile devices. It has even been played on the side of buildings, and it can even be played on graphing calculators.

Tetris was also the first piece of entertainment software exported from the former Soviet Union.

It is commonly associated with Nintendo’s Game Boy, as the software was bundled with every console for several years in North America and in Europe. Over 30 million copies of the Game Boy’s version of the game were sold, which is why practically everyone knows what Tetris is.

13. Wine

This is another example of one where you have to look at the negative space. It is quite subtle, so you might not see it at first.

Look in between the “I” and the “N”. There’s clearly a wine bottle there. As they say, it is likely five o’ clock somewhere; therefore, if you are a wine drinker, you should consider pouring yourself a glass.

Wine has actually been produced for thousands of years—possibly from around 6,000 B.C., or maybe even earlier. It is possible that it was consumed in China back around 7,000 B.C., but that can’t be proven. The earliest confirmed traces of the beverage are from the country of Georgia.

14. Six

This one is interesting. The number “6” is clearly visible. Its presence, however, does sort of make the “I” and the “x” quite misshapen. Personally, I probably would have dotted the “i” with a tiny “6”.

It is readable, though, and that is all that matters.

15. Hike

This one is sort of subtle, so I did not see it at first. Upon close examination, however, you will notice that there is the bottom of a shoe—or more likely a boot, considering the subject—in the “e” of the word “hike”.

Like most depictions of objects on this list, the boot’s design is pretty simple, but you definitely know exactly what it is once you see it. After you see it, you really can’t manage to un-see it.

16. Fox

This one is great. It may be a pretty simple depiction of a fox, but you know exactly what you are looking at. Honestly, if the Fox Broadcasting Company doesn’t contact Daniel Carlmatz to get his permission to use his work as their new logo, they are missing out on a golden opportunity. It would probably look great on our television screens.

17. Pinocchio

In case you’re not familiar—and you should be, as he is a cultural icon—the character of Pinocchio is a wooden puppet who dreams of one day becoming a real little boy. His nose grows longer when he under stress, and especially when he is lying.

He first appeared in a children’s novel way back in 1883, but most remember him because of the animated Disney movie, which came out in 1940. It was actually Disney’s second animated film; the first was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.

18. Pisa

This one is extremely simple, but also immensely clever. We have all heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the bell tower in the city of Pisa. The tower tilts because of soft ground on one side of the tower; it was inadequate in terms of supporting the weight of the tower, which is over 55 meters tall. It weighs over 14,000 metric tons.

Construction of the tower took almost 200 years; it began in the 12th century. Its bell-chamber wasn’t finished until the year 1372.

19. Eggs

This one took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out. Once I managed to figure it out, I felt like a total fool. Look at the shape of the negative space in the letter “g”. They are clearly the shape of an egg. So subtle, but so brilliant. Daniel Carlmatz is a true master.

20. Skate

This one would look great on an actual skateboard, and I imagine a lot of people seeing it will consider putting it on their boards.

Those are 20 of the images we found particularly cool, but there are literally hundreds more. The fact he was able to do 365 of them in one year is simply mind boggling.