This is the logo of the Tehran Metro:
What does it mean? Is it a stylized letter or sequence of letters? If so, which ones?
2 Answers
It is simply the end view of a subway car in a guideway, viewed from the tracks. It also shows the platform and may imply that the underground subway is ventilated (otherwise why not join the ends of the lines).
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2There might also be a bit of play on the Arabic letter Mim here مـ which looks vaguely like a train stopped at a platform and which begins the Persian word for metro: مترو Commented Nov 11 at 10:37
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1I'm not sure enough of this to add it as an answer TBH. I don't know if a Persian speaker would see it this way or associate it with the letter Mim. The similarity could be entirely coincidental. Commented Nov 11 at 16:56
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3@Rob, "convey an idea in all languages" is only a goal of a very small subset of logos. Most logos have a specific target audience.– MarkCommented Nov 11 at 22:40
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@mark, Half the population uses a language different from Persian, sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… and brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004217652/… and there is also tourism.– RobCommented Nov 12 at 1:55
Keep in mind that the purpose of a logo is not to communicate, it is to identify. A logo does not need to “mean” anything. It does not need to tell a story or even convey what a business does for a living. In fact, most newly designed logos mean nothing at all. A logo needs to be legible and recognizable, and hopefully, easy to remember. A logo is like an empty bowl that will be filled with meaning with passage of time.
