Hiding in the Light: How MC Escher Influences Our Logo Designs
Insights
Escher’s art inspires logos that reveal hidden layers and double meanings, creating delight through discovery.Our team uses contradiction and negative space to build symbols that combine tradition with surprise.Transformation and narrative inform logo design, inviting viewers to engage slowly and find deeper stories.Playful motifs and subtle details in brand identities encourage emotional and intellectual connection.Minimalism paired with optical wit ensures logos remain memorable and provoke curiosity.The Escher approach blends mathematical craft with artistic freedom, making each logo an evolving visual experience.
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When was the last time a logo made you stop, study it, and smile because you discovered something unexpected? In today’s fast-paced visual landscape, where billions of brands compete for fleeting attention, logos that reveal hidden layers and subtle wit do more than identify. They engage, delight, and become experiences. At Elephant Design, our creative obsession with Maurits Cornelis Escher fuels this very pursuit. His visionary art teaches us that complexity, illusion, and precision can combine to craft designs that invite you in but never fully give themselves away. Born in 1898 in the Netherlands, Escher was a sickly and introspective child who found refuge in drawing and carpentry. Though not academically gifted in mathematics, he intuitively grasped its beauty and applied it to his art in ways that defied conventions. His early travels to the Moorish Alhambra palace in Spain left an indelible mark on him. He was captivated by the intricate tessellations and mathematical patterns decorating the walls, an encounter that would shape his signature style. Escher later described his artistic journey as one of “withdrawal from the direct and true-to-life” toward a universe of impossible forms and infinite patterns. Escher was meticulous and disciplined. He lived a highly ordered life, famously combining long solitary hours of painstaking work with his love for classical music, especially Bach. But his art also reflected a boundless curiosity and playful spirit, exploring impossible realities and optical puzzles that challenge perception itself. “Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible,” he once wrote. This is a mantra we at Elephant embrace when pushing beyond ordinary logo design. Strength and Symbolism in Contradictory Space: Bennett University
One of Escher’s hallmark techniques was contradictory space, i.e. the ability to render flat, two-dimensional planes that twist and fold as if defying gravity and logic. His iconic lithograph Relativity presents staircases leading simultaneously up and down, exposing the paradoxical nature of perspective. This principle inspired the Bennett University logo. At first impression, it is a classic shield symbolizing strength and heritage. As your eye lingers, two majestic elephants with raised trunks emerge in a subtle but powerful metaphor that also connects with the Times Group’s visual identity. In many cultures, elephants with raised trunks represent wisdom, good fortune, and perseverance. What is more interesting though is when you notice the dome formed out of the negative space representing temple of education! The team channelled Escher’s ideation process here: crafting a form that balances tradition with rich symbolism and invites discovery. The shield reinforces protection and integrity, embodying the institution’s commitment to nurturing leaders who excel in a complex world. Fluid Transformation and Guidance: GITAM University
Escher was fascinated by metamorphosis and transformation. He produced works where one shape seamlessly morphed into another, challenging static viewing. His Metamorphosis II is a stunning example, a 20-foot-long print transitioning from geometric shapes to animals to buildings. This spirit of fluidity and transition informs the GITAM University logo. The central hand gently releasing a bird symbolizes mentorship guiding a student toward freedom and potential. A radiant sun encircles this imagery, evoking wisdom’s enduring light. Just as Escher’s tessellations connect form to form in dynamic harmony, this logo tells a story of growth and boundless opportunity. It encourages the viewer to slow down and appreciate the narrative beyond the initial glance. Playful Details and Hidden Narratives: Purrfeto
Escher found delight in hiding double meanings and secrets within his work. In Sky and Water I, for example, birds gradually transform into fish in a seamless gradient of positive and negative space. The Purrfeto logo carries forward this legacy of playful subtlety. Each letter has a tale: the “P” crafts cat ears, the “F” curls into a vibrant tail, and the “T” and “O” harbour a quietly nestled fish motif. Flowing curves trace a cat’s relaxed form, inviting viewers to enter a narrative space rather than just read a name. This handcrafted identity is imbued with warmth and personality. Elephant Design’s process here mirrors Escher’s creative principle: complexity hides within simplicity, inviting deeper connection through discovery. Minimalism and Surprise: Bowlers
Though frequently associated with intricate detail, Escher also explored minimalism enriched by clever optical trickery. His Drawing Hands presents a paradox of two hands drawing each other, embodying both simplicity and conceptual depth. The Bowlers logo reflects this balance. Its clean typography feels fresh and accessible. However, the letter “R” is a visual twist. It shapes a dog’s face using negative space, ears and features included. Notably, the letter “O” is deliberately omitted to disrupt expectations and spark curiosity. This design requires active participation from viewers, true to Escher’s philosophy that art engages and unfolds through perception. It’s a mark that’s simple but unforgettable. Beyond Surface Beauty: Embracing Escher’s Creative Philosophy
Escher once commented, “We adore chaos because we love to produce order.” This paradox lies at the core of Elephant Design’s approach. We build logos that instantly communicate but also reveal new levels of meaning with each viewing. Inspired by Escher’s mathematical rigor and infinite tessellations, our work aims to be alive and evolving. Escher was not affiliated with any art movement; he considered himself a one-man art movement dedicated to craftsmanship. This dedication resonates with us. We, too, strive to create identities that function as puzzles and stories, encouraging curiosity, delight, and lasting connection. His process reminds us creativity thrives under constraints combined with disciplined craft: the very tension Elephant Design embraces in the quest to make logos that are experiences embedded within multiple layers. When you notice the proud elephants in Bennett, witness the soaring bird at GITAM, discover the feline whispers in Purrfeto, or smile at the dog hidden in Bowlers, remember you are partaking in a tradition of art that celebrates the unexpected, the complex, and the beautiful. These logos are stories, inviting you to explore hidden worlds in plain sight. Good design, much like Escher’s art, is never just visual. It is emotional, intellectual, and above all, adventurous. 
