Artist Imagines What Famous Company Logos Would Look Like If They Were Affected By The Products They Represent

Brand logos are usually designed to look polished, familiar, and a little aspirational. But one artist decided to flip that idea on its head and show what famous brands might look like if their products left a visible mark on the logo itself.

Italian industrial product designer Marco Schembri created a series of clever redesigns for ten well-known companies, turning everyday branding into a playful visual joke. The result is a mix of humor and design logic that makes each logo feel oddly believable.

His work has drawn plenty of attention, and these versions are hard to forget once you see them.

1. Gillette

Gillette is a U.S. brand of safety razors and other personal care products. It’s owned by the multinational corporation Procter & Gamble. The Gillette Company was founded by King C. Gillette in 1901 as a safety razor manufacturer.

Marco Schembri

2. Absolut

Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. It was established in 1879 by Lars Olsson Smith.

It is now part of the French group Pernod Ricard and is one of the largest brands of spirits in the world (after Smirnoff and Bacardi). It is sold in 126 countries.

Marco Schembri

3. Nutella

Nutella is manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero and was first launched in 1964. The company itself was founded by Pietro Ferrero, a bakery owner from Alba, an Italian town known for producing hazelnuts.

Marco Schembri

4. Nestlé

Nestlé S.A. is a Swiss multinational food and drinks processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest food company in the world and is ranked No. 64 on the Fortune Global 500 list.

Marco Schembri

That’s similar to the cooking contest where someone ignored their friend’s nut allergy, and it went badly fast.

5. Durex

Durex is a brand of condoms and personal lubricants owned by Reckitt Benckiser. It was initially developed in London, where it was produced from 1932 to 1994. The brand name stands for durability, reliability, and excellence.

Marco Schembri

6. Starbucks

Starbucks is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is also the world's largest coffeehouse chain.

Marco Schembri

7. McDonald’s

McDonald's was founded in 1940 in San Bernardino, California. The Golden Arches logo was introduced in 1953 at a location in Phoenix, Arizona.

Marco Schembri

8. Red Bull

Red Bull is the most famous energy drink in the world. It is produced and distributed by an Austrian company created in 1987, but its roots are in Thailand. The ingredients were modified to suit the taste of Westerners, and the legend was born.

Marco Schembri

9. Zippo

A Zippo is the most famous lighter in the world. It is manufactured by the Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pennsylvania. It is legendary for providing flames even in the strongest winds.

Marco Schembri

10. Braun

Braun is a German consumer products company established in 1921 and based in Kronberg im Taunus. The company is famous for its personal care products and is now owned by Procter & Gamble.

Marco Schembri

What do you think of these logos? Did the artist get anything wrong?

Not really. However, it’s not very likely that we will see these “honest” logo versions being used in their campaigns, which is a shame.

People generally appreciate brands that can make jokes at their own expense, especially if those jokes contain some truth.

That kind of self-aware branding is hard to miss.

For a different kind of danger, see what happened when 111 unidentified chemicals slipped into the US food supply.