Branded in Memory

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Style Pass

2021-07-31 21:00:06

The logos of global corporations like Apple, Starbucks, and Foot Locker are designed to create instant brand associations in the minds of billions who see them every day. But how accurately can we remember the features and colors of these famous symbols?

To find out, we asked over 150 Americans to draw 10 famous logos from memory as accurately as they could. Based on more than 1,500 drawings created over a period of 80 hours, the results reveal that, far from being stamped perfectly in our collective memory, these ubiquitous emblems largely exist as fuzzy visions in our mind's eye. One in 5 people thinks the Foot Locker referee wears a hat (he doesn't), and nearly half of people believe the Starbucks mermaid does not wear a crown (she does). That only scratches the surface of what our study found out.

There are Apple devices in the pockets, on the wrists, and otherwise in the possession of around 600 million people across the world.1 With so many opportunities to see it each day, recalling Apple's elegantly simple logo should be a no-brainer, right? After all (and unlike Starbucks or Foot Locker), the clue to its design is in the name!