What does Asics stand for? What does the brand name mean?

Shoppers have discovered the secret meaning behind the Asics brand name.

The sports and activewear brand is well-known for its sneakers and activewear. Kihachiro Onitsuka first established the brand in 1949 as ‘Onitsuka Shokai’ in Kobe, Japan.

But the company changed its name to Asics in 1977, which is an acronym for the Latin phrase ‘Anima Sana In Corpore Sano’ (‘You should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body’), which is a quote from the Roman satirist Juvenal. 

Onitsuka decided on the rebrand after receiving business advice from his wartime friend, Kohei Hori, who was the Director of Health and Physical Education at the Hyogo Prefecture Board of Education.

The company then paraphrased the meaning to ‘a sound mind in a sound body’ as the brand wanted to express its desire for people around the world to live healthful, happy lives both physically and mentally. 

Popular sports and activewear brand ‘Asics’ is well-known for their high-quality footwear, clothing, and accessories

Onitsuka admitted that his friend’s words left a ‘deep impression’ on him and inspired his dedication to make shoes that would nurture healthy young people through sport.

‘I thought this was just a stylised version of the word ‘Basics’,’ a fan wrote recently after discovering the name’s meaning.

‘Here I thought it was because the brand manufactures ‘Ace Kicks’ as in good shoes.’

‘I quietly wondered this for like half my life. Asics? Basics? Oasics? I’m having a minor crisis here.’

‘Shocking that the logo wasn’t just a backwards ‘B’ the whole time.’

Kihachiro Onitsuka first established the brand in 1949 as ‘Onitsuka Shokai’ in Kobe, Japan

But Asics isn’t the only brand whose logo had people talking lately.

Eagle-eyed travellers spotted a hidden symbol in one of the logos of Australian budget airline Jetstar recently.

People have noticed the negative space between the ‘T’ and the orange star create a perfect arrow. 

Jetstar have two logos; one with the full company name spelled out with an orange star at the end and a shortened version with the word ‘Jet’ followed by the orange star.

The shortened version is usually seen on the tail of the airline’s planes and hides the forward-facing arrow which has gone unnoticed by many flyers. 

Australians have been shocked to find the secret symbol in the familiar logo and say they will never be able to ‘unsee it’. 

Sharp-eyed Aussie travellers have noticed a hidden arrow in the negative space between the ‘T’ and the orange star in Jetstar’s logo

Jetstar’s shortened logo is usually seen on the tail of the airline’s planes and hides the forward-facing arrow which has gone unnoticed by many flyers

Digital agency eDigital explained on its website the Jetstar logo was designed in 2003 and the orange star was modified between the two emblems to include the arrow. 

‘The logo saves you the time to spell out the word ‘star’ by simply incorporating an actual star. The star symbol has been slightly changed to show a forward-pointing arrow,’ the site read. 

In a Reddit post another Aussie asked: ‘Has anyone noticed the arrow in the Jetstar logo?’.

‘Now I can’t un-see it. Thanks,’ someone replied.  

Flyers who have noticed Jetstar’s hidden symbol say it reminds them of the arrow in FedEx’s logo (pictured) which can be seen between the ‘E’ and the ‘X’

Melbourne advertising blogger Zac Martin said they noticed the secret symbol after they spent four days flying around each Aussie capital city. 

‘One thing I noticed, is that all of Australia does some terrible advertising, not just in this state,’ he wrote in a post.

‘But the other, after seeing it far too many times, was how awesome the Jetstar logo is. Take a look at the negative space between the T and the star.’

Zac said the design reminded him of the FedEx logo which also hides an arrow between the ‘E’ and the ‘X’. 

This isn’t the first time a hidden meaning was found in a familiar Australian logo. 

Previously Aussies were left shocked after learning about the history behind the Australia Post logo, which takes influence from a mail horn used more than 200 years ago.

Melbourne engineer and researcher Julian O’Shea revealed the inspiration behind the postal service’s logo in a video posted to his popular TikTok account.  

Engineer and researcher Julian O’Shea (pictured) explained the design choice for the Australia Post logo in a TikTok video that has gone viral

Mr O’Shea has dedicated his social media channels to educating people on the history behind designs, buildings and cities.

He explained that the Australia Post logo was created to resemble the post horn that was used by guards of mail coaches throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.

‘Ever wondered what’s going on with the Australia Post logo?’ Mr O’Shea says in his video as he stands in front of a post box.

‘Now clearly the P is trying to represent P for post, but what is this thing all about?’ he continues, pointing at the white half-circle design on the right of the logo.

The right side of the logo resembles a post horn. Post horns were used in the 18th and 19th centuries to let people know that the mailman was about to deliver mail and packages

‘This shape is based on the postal horn and this was an actual instrument that would be blown to let people know that the mailman was here to come down and bring down your packages.’

He revealed that the same design has been used for mail service logos in several different countries including Argentina, Germany and Iceland. 

‘So you might think letters and mail are out of date, but the logos they use are even more so,’ the online educator added.

The original Australia Post logo was designed in 1975 by Pieter Huveneers, a renowned graphic designer from the Netherlands.

The original Australia Post logo was designed in 1975 by Pieter Huveneers, a renowned graphic designer from the Netherlands (stock image)

Mr Huveneers created a number of designs and posters throughout his career for businesses, corporations, government services and charities in the Netherlands, the UK and Australia.

After moving to Australia, he created more than 70 designs Down Under including logos for Telecom Australia, Westpac, ACI, Colonial Mutual Life, Myer, TAA and Tooth and Co.

TikTok users who watched Mr O’Shea’s video expressed their surprise upon learning about the inspiration behind the postal design.

‘Ok this is something they should teach us in Primary school,’ wrote one viewer.

Another said: ‘I’ve always thought it was a P inside an O that was just kinda stylised.’

‘I always assumed it was a keyhole,’ added a third.

‘I’ve learnt something today cheers,’ said another.