Illusory Contour Logos
Learn about illusory contours in logo design.
Illusory contours, also known as subjective contours, can be described as visual illusions that evoke the perception of an edge. This can be used to encourage the viewer’s mind to complete images that in reality are only partially formed or loosely inferred.
Logos that use this technique could be considered a sub-set of negative space logos, where printed ink and empty space are given equal consideration, and can be used to play with perception and generate visual interest and distinction.
The logo for Spanish swim-ware brand Actus, designed by Cruz Novillo in 1995, playfully calls to mind a bikini between three shapes cut from a triangle.
Michael Vanderbyl used illusory contours to great effect in his 1974 logo for Hospital Consortium Inc. using outward pointing arrows/chevrons to create the edges of a cross at the centre.
Want more examples of illusory contours used in logo design? Search ‘Illusory Contours’ on LogoArchive.
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