14 Things You Never Knew About Everyday Brands
Discover the hidden histories, secret symbols, and surprising origins behind the world’s most familiar brands — you’ll never look at your everyday favorites the same way again.
- Alyana Aguja
- 5 min read
There are many brands we all see every day surround us, but beneath their logos and labels are surprising stories, clever tricks, and offbeat origins. From IKEA’s dyslexia-inspired naming code to the secret bear in Toblerone’s mountain, these facts expose how much attention — and accident — is put into the brands we all think we know. Prepare to discover the amazing, bizarre, and occasionally silly secrets concealed in plain sight.
1. IKEA product names are not arbitrary—there is a secret system
Image from Wikipedia
Swedish furniture behemoth IKEA gives its products a strict internal logic to their names. Sofas and coffee tables are titled after locations in Sweden, beds and wardrobes are titled after towns in Norway, and bathroom products have their names taken from lakes and rivers. Founder Ingvar Kamprad came up with this system because of his dyslexia — it was simpler for him to recall names than item codes.
2. The Apple logo is bitten so it won’t be confused with something else
Image from Wikipedia
Designer Rob Janoff put the bite in the Apple logo in 1977 — not as an homage to the Bible story, but to ensure it was an apple, not a cherry or tomato. The computing term “byte” was merely a happy accident. Nevertheless, the symbolism has become a legend in technology lore.
3. Starbucks’ mermaid is a double-tailed mythical siren
Image from Wikipedia
Starbucks opted for a Norse siren logo to tap the irresistible appeal of coffee. Her original 1971 logo was far more exposed and outright plagiarized from a 16th-century woodcut. Over the years, she has been polished and streamlined in her image but retains the maritime origins.
4. The “57” of Heinz’s “57 Varieties” was completely fabricated
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When H.J. Heinz popularized the “57 varieties” slogan in 1896, his firm already produced over 60 products. He just liked the number 57 because he thought it sounded lucky and cool. The tag stuck, becoming one of the longest-lasting food brandings in history.
5. Google’s home page is intentionally plain because the founders didn’t have a clue about HTML
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Larry Page and Sergey Brin emphasized function when they started Google in 1998. Because they were not web designers, the site had a bare, barren appearance. Users even complained initially because they didn’t know the page was fully loaded.
6. Coca-Cola contributed to the contemporary look of Santa Claus
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Prior to Coca-Cola’s 1930s holiday commercials, visions of Santa Claus had ranged incredibly — thin, elfin, even stern. Illustrator Haddon Sundblom defined the jolly, red-clad Santa that exists in the popular imagination today through his work for Coca-Cola commercials. The campaign proved so popular that it forever changed popular culture’s image of Father Christmas.
7. LEGO bricks produced today still fit with 1958 bricks
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LEGO’s factory accuracy is renowned. The underlying design of the interlocking brick has remained the same for more than 65 years, and bricks produced today are still interchangeable with those from decades past. That is due to the mold tolerance being as little as 2 microns, less than a human hair.
8. Nike’s swoosh was originally designed for a mere $35
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Graphic design student Carolyn Davidson designed the iconic swoosh in 1971 for $35. Nike co-founder Phil Knight was disappointed at first but used it anyway. Years later, he gave Davidson a gold Swoosh ring and stock in the company as gratitude.
9. The Bluetooth logo is a combination of two ancient Nordic runes
Image from Wikipedia
Bluetooth comes from a Danish king, Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson, who lived in the 10th century and united Scandinavia. The logo is a combination of the runes for H and B—his initials. The name was temporary but retained as it meant unity, much like the technology itself.
10. FedEx’s logo contains a subtle arrow
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Notice the space between the “E” and “x” in the FedEx logo — a white arrow made from the negative space. It symbolizes speed and accuracy, values that are core to the business. The logo is so discreet that most individuals don’t even realize it’s there until someone points it out.
11. McDonald’s golden arches weren’t symbolic when they were first created
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The arches were original to the restaurant’s 1950s design and intended to grab the attention of drivers. When McDonald’s started rebranding, a psychologist recommended that the arches remain in the logo — they have a subconscious similarity to mother breasts, allegedly causing people to feel comforted. The thought took hold, and now the arches are among the most identified symbols in the world.
12. The “Pepsi” name is derived from digestive enzymes
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Pepsi was initially sold as a health drink, and the name came from “dyspepsia,” an old name for indigestion. Creator Caleb Bradham asserted that the cola could help digestion. Although it wasn’t a health tonic, the name — and the bubbles — survived.
13. Crayola has produced more than 400 crayon shades—and retired some of them
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Crayola started with only eight hues in 1903. They’ve brought out and phased out dozens since then, frequently allowing fans to vote on which one should stay. Retired colors such as “Maize” and “Raw Umber” now enjoy cult followings among crayon enthusiasts.
14. Toblerone’s mountain has a secret bear
Image from Wikipedia
The triangular-shaped chocolate bar is emblazoned with the Matterhorn logo, but in the outline of the mountain is a secret bear. This is a nod to Bern, Switzerland, where Toblerone was born, and the logo is a bear. It’s one of the first instances of a secret image in brand design.