At the centre of every great brand is an equally captivating logo.
If you picture any of the famous brands from the past century – go on, we’ll wait – we can almost guarantee that, in most cases, the logo will spring to mind before the product itself.
Which brand did you picture? Maybe it was Nike, with its famous swooping tick. Or perhaps it was Apple with its trademark bite (which, sources claim, was to prevent it from being confused with a cherry. In case the name itself wasn’t clear enough).
But we’ll bet that you’re also equally familiar with the Swiss brand Toblerone and its iconic mountainous graphic, reminiscent of the alps from which its country has become synonymous with.
But how did this logo come about – and were you aware of its hidden feature? If not, we’ll bet you’ll never see it in the same way again!
The history of the Toblerone logo
While many of us probably now associate Toblerone with the duty-free section in airports, the original chocolate bar first entered the market in 1908 – although, of course, it has undergone several rebrandings since then.
It was invented by Swiss chocolatier Theodor Tobler, and the name “Toblerone” comes from a combination of his surname, Tobler and the Italian word torrone, which is a type of nougat.
Over 80 years later, in 1990, illustrator Andrew Davidson (whose credits include the front cover illustrations of the Harry Potter books, along with brand work for Bacardi and Waitrose) designed the logo for Toblerone that many of us recognise today.
As pictured, it features an emblem of the Matterhorn Mountain – perhaps the most recognisable point across the sweeping landscape of the Swiss alps – and the striking red “Toblerone” font, which is symbolic of its birth country’s flag.
Beneath the packaging, even the chocolate itself rears into a triangular point, much like the Matterhorn itself, and is instantly recognisable against the conventional bar shapes of most chocolate. But what really makes the branding of this chocolate bar gold standard is its hidden secret, which most people won’t spot.
The hidden feature in Toblerone’s logo
When we picture the Toblerone logo, we tend to imagine its peaked mountain and the bold yellow and red colours associated with the packaging.
But many of us won’t have noticed, however, that illustrator Davidson has also cleverly incorporated a rearing white bear onto the forefront of the Matterhorn. See?
The bear is so large that it almost reaches the top of the mountain, yet many people don’t even notice it’s there.
This clever addition serves as a reminder of the brand’s origin and the birthplace of chocolatier Theodor Tobler – the city of Bern in Switzerland.
Bern is referred to as the “City of Bears” as, according to legend, founder Duke Berthold V von Zähringen, vowed to name the city after the first animal he successfully killed in a hunt. If this is true, then it would appear that the unfortunate bear now lives on forever – so remember that next time you pick up your bar of Toblerone from the airport!
If you’re looking to have a logo designed that truly represents your brand, reach out to the team at Engage Web today, who would be happy to offer a consultation.
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