When MTV Networks’ new gay channel LOGO debuts this month, it will join a kicky set of companies whose trademarks — intentionally or not — are a little light in their serifs.
LOGO With a ’70s bubble type suggestive of tumescent penises, this logo is clearly aroused. Yet it hides inside a pastel “halo.” A buffer against hostile Republicans?
NYC2012 Technically this logo for New York’s Olympics bid — half brawny athlete, half Statue of Liberty — is not a homosexual but a she-male. That said, note how it raises its transgendered arms so victoriously, to spell out YMCA.
FTD This guy’s not butch. Having squandered his clothing budget on matching accessories, he races down the street naked (note shaved chest), late for a date with his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s whippet.
BT Recently replaced by a more manly blob, British Telecom’s irrepressible logo enjoys reading Michael Chabon novels, staring into a koi pond, and planning his discrimination lawsuit. Blow, Gabriel, blow!
FOOT LOCKER This referee, hands on hips, looks as though he’s about to throw a major hissy fit, or perhaps — in his other capacity as a short, stout little teapot — about to be tipped over and “poured” out.
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND Known facts: Pandas are supercute vegetarians with only a passing interest in breeding. They signal aggression by staring and moaning. Lesser-known fact: They live for Marc Jacobs sample sales.
NBC The original 1956 peacock loved to show off its 11 realistic feathers and dainty claws. But after an overly confessional 1981 slogan (“NBC: Our pride is showing”), the never-married bird was brutally abstracted into its current closeted form.
FAG FAG is a nice Czech company that makes ping-pong tables. This naive, seemingly drawn-by-a-14-year-old-boy logo is frequently confused when the Merrill Lynch bull attempts to mount it.
YUM! This is actually the logo of the $8 billion Fortune 500 company that owns KFC and Taco Bell. It only appears to be the logo of a cheesy greeting card business that specializes in nude Santas.
MERRILL LYNCH Swishy tail. Coyly raised foreleg. When it’s not symbolizing a global financial powerhouse, we suspect this muscle queen is busy haunting steam rooms and guzzling Amstel Light. Also: “Merrill”? How gay is that?