Like the Nike swoosh or the McDonald's 'M', the Vans logo is instantly recognizable.
We see it on shoes, bags, stickers and t-shirts - but after thinking about the Vans logo in a different context, some fans of the brand have become convinced it's hiding another meaning.
Vans' logo wastes no time in showing what it's advertising, as it's made up simply of the word 'VANS' in capital letters.
Advert
A long line stretching from the right of the V across the remaining letters makes the logo recognizable - but is it really just a V?
If you're into maths, you might notice that the V in the Vans logo isn't too dissimilar to the 'square root' symbol, with its own line stretching out from what looks like a little v.
Given that I've done as much as possible to avoid anything other than simple addition since high school, I personally didn't make the connection between the Vans logo and this math symbol, and I'm sure there are people out there who are right there with me.
However, some more mathematically-inclined TikTok users made the connection and pointed out that the 'square root' is otherwise known as a 'Radical'.
Now picture a skater wearing Vans with his pinky and thumb up in the air, shouting 'radicaallll'.
Advert
Doesn't seem like a coincidence, does it?
The hidden meaning doesn't stop there, though, as with the help of a calculator internet users have shown that the logo for the shoe brand is the same as the equation for 'the square root of answer'.
On a calculator, this appears as '√ANS'.
Responding to the realization online, one astounded X user wrote: 'once you see it, you can't unsee it'.
Advert
Another mind-blown person commented: "Noooooooooooooo."
A third went as far as to create a whole scenario involving Vans and the maths equation, writing on Reddit: "So this is the scenario I thought up when I realized this.
"A guy walks into a Vans store. The guy at the counter asks him what his favourite type of shoe is, and he blatantly says "Vans!" The guy at the counter can then say 'Radical Answer, bro' and not sound stupid."
Though people are obviously supportive of the theory, unfortunately the likeness to the equation doesn't actually appear to be intentional.
Advert
According to the Logo My Way blog, the familiar Vans logo stems back to the company's early days following its inception in 1966.
The original version of the logo was created by the son of the one of the brand's founders, who actually originally intended to paint it on a skateboard. However, when his father James Van Doren saw the graphic, he decided to put it on the heel of one of the company's shoe designs.
That marked the start of Vans' large scale manufacturing of skateboarding footwear; a decision which has proved successful to this day.