Why do AI company logos look like buttholes? (2025)
Why do AI company logos look like buttholes? (2025)
为什么 AI 公司的 Logo 看起来都像肛门？（2025）
If you pay attention to AI company branding, you’ll notice a pattern: Circular shape (often with a gradient), central opening or focal point, radiating elements from the center, soft, organic curves. Sound familiar? It should, because it’s also an apt description of… well, you know. A butthole. 如果你关注过 AI 公司的品牌形象，你会发现一个规律：圆形（通常带有渐变）、中心开口或焦点、从中心向外辐射的元素、柔和且有机的曲线。听起来耳熟吗？确实应该耳熟，因为这恰好也是对……嗯，你知道的，对肛门的描述。
The circular AI logo epidemic: If you ever thought that AI company logos look like buttholes, you’re not alone. FastCompany noticed this trend in 2023 and published an article about it, but (I could only presume) their editors and lawyers didn’t let them title the article the way they wanted to, so it got published with a more safe-for-work title: “The AI boom is creating a new logo trend: the swirling hexagon.” They also were careful not to mention anything anatomical. I don’t have editors or lawyers, so let’s take a closer look at some examples. AI 公司的圆形 Logo 流行病：如果你曾觉得 AI 公司的 Logo 看起来像肛门，你并不孤单。FastCompany 在 2023 年就注意到了这一趋势并发表了一篇文章，但（我只能推测）他们的编辑和律师没让他们用自己想要的标题，所以文章最终以一个更“职场友好”的标题发布：《AI 热潮正在创造一种新的 Logo 趋势：旋转的六边形》。他们还小心翼翼地避开了任何解剖学上的联想。我没有编辑和律师，所以让我们仔细看看一些例子。
OpenAI’s logo evolution: OpenAI’s original logo was a simple, text-based mark. Then came the redesign: a perfect circle with a subtle gradient and central void. OpenAI’s official explanation is a masterclass in corporate euphemism: “The Blossom logo is more than just a visual symbol; it represents the core philosophy that guides our approach to design and innovation. At its heart, the logo captures the dynamic intersection between humanity and technology—two forces that shape our world and inspire our work. The design embodies the fluidity and warmth of human-centered thinking through the use of circles, while right angles introduce the precision and structure that technology demands.” OpenAI 的 Logo 演变：OpenAI 最初的 Logo 是一个简单的文字标识。后来进行了重新设计：一个带有微妙渐变和中心空洞的完美圆环。OpenAI 的官方解释堪称企业委婉语的典范：“‘花朵’Logo 不仅仅是一个视觉符号；它代表了指导我们设计和创新方法的核心哲学。其核心在于，该 Logo 捕捉了人类与技术之间的动态交集——这两股力量塑造了我们的世界并激发了我们的工作。该设计通过使用圆形体现了以人为本思维的流动性和温暖感，而直角则引入了技术所要求的精确性和结构感。”
Sure, Sam. Translation: “We made a circular shape with some angles because it looked nice, then wrote flowery language to justify why our butthole-adjacent design is actually profound.” The fluidity and warmth of human-centered thinking through the use of circles is perhaps the most elegant way anyone has ever described making a logo that resembles an anus. 得了吧，Sam。翻译一下就是：“我们做了一个带点角度的圆形，因为看起来不错，然后写了一堆华丽的辞藻来证明我们这个‘类肛门’的设计其实很有深度。”通过使用圆形来体现以人为本思维的流动性和温暖感，这大概是人类历史上描述一个长得像肛门的 Logo 时，所用过的最优雅的说法了。
The Big AI companies: Looking at the logos of the Big AI companies, you can see that they almost all of them have a circular or snowflake-like shape and a central opening. Only DeepSeek and Midjourney don’t follow the trend. Interestingly, both are sea-related. 大型 AI 公司：看看那些大型 AI 公司的 Logo，你会发现它们几乎都有圆形或雪花状的外形以及一个中心开口。只有 DeepSeek 和 Midjourney 没有跟风。有趣的是，这两家公司都与海洋有关。
Smoking gun: Anthropic’s Claude: Up until this point, the logos have been subtle. You might say that the logos are simply circular and there’s not much more to it. But Anthropic’s Claude takes it to the next level. Here’s a side-by-side comparison with a drawing from Kurt Vonnegut’s book “Breakfast of Champions”. I added Claude’s logo below for easy comparison. Both the drawing and the description in the book are unambiguous. This is not just “a circular shape with a gradient” anymore, is it? 确凿证据：Anthropic 的 Claude：在此之前，这些 Logo 还算含蓄。你可能会说这些 Logo 只是圆形的，没别的意思。但 Anthropic 的 Claude 把这种设计提升到了一个新的高度。这里有一张它与库尔特·冯内古特的小说《冠军早餐》中插图的对比图。我在下方放上了 Claude 的 Logo 以便对比。书中的插图和描述都毫无歧义。这已经不仅仅是“一个带渐变的圆形”了，不是吗？
July 2026 update: the smoking gun now moves: Since publishing this article, I’ve discovered new evidence. Open claude.ai and click on the Claude logo. Just watch what it does: The Claude logo, when clicked. I have no further questions. Every click makes the logo clench and relax. It even responds with a slightly annoyed “Yes, yes. What can I do for you?”, as if you poked something you weren’t supposed to. At this point, there’s no argument you could make that would persuade me this is not a butthole 🙂 2026 年 7 月更新：确凿证据动起来了：自本文发布以来，我发现了新的证据。打开 claude.ai 并点击 Claude 的 Logo。看看它会发生什么：点击后的 Claude Logo。我没别的问题了。每次点击都会让 Logo 收缩再放松。它甚至会带着一丝恼怒回应道：“是，是。我能为你做什么？”，就好像你戳了什么不该戳的东西一样。到了这一步，没有任何理由能说服我这不是个肛门了 🙂
It’s not just AI companies: Even traditional companies aren’t immune. Here are a few notable or funny examples. But the percentage of AI company logos that look like buttholes is still significantly higher than any other industry. I especially like the Electrolux one. It’s simple, memorable, and once you see a butt and bikini, you can’t unsee it. 不仅仅是 AI 公司：即使是传统公司也未能幸免。这里有一些值得注意或有趣的例子。但 AI 公司 Logo 看起来像肛门的比例仍然远高于其他任何行业。我特别喜欢伊莱克斯（Electrolux）的那个。它简单、令人难忘，而且一旦你看到了屁股和比基尼，你就再也无法忽视它了。
Why does this keep happening? There are several factors at play: 为什么这种情况不断发生？有几个因素在起作用：
Circular design psychology: Circles represent wholeness, completion, and infinity—concepts that align with AI’s promise. They’re also friendly and non-threatening, qualities companies desperately want to project when selling potentially job-replacing technology. 圆形设计心理学：圆形代表完整、圆满和无限——这些概念与 AI 的愿景相符。它们看起来也很友好、没有威胁感，而这些正是公司在推销可能取代人类工作的技术时，极力想要展现的特质。
Unintentional biomimicry: The human brain finds familiar patterns in random shapes (pareidolia), like a face on Mars, taken by the Viking 1 orbiter and released by NASA in 1976. But sometimes, designers inadvertently recreate biological forms without realizing the… anatomical implications. 无意的仿生学：人类大脑会在随机形状中寻找熟悉的模式（空想性视错觉），就像 1976 年海盗 1 号轨道飞行器拍摄并由 NASA 发布的那张火星人脸照片一样。但有时，设计师会在无意中重现生物形态，而没有意识到其……解剖学上的含义。
The copycat effect: Once a few major players adopted the circular sphincter aesthetic, everyone followed suit. Now we have an industry where standing out means looking exactly like everyone else’s butthole. Basically, the same reason why so many brands change their logos and look like everyone else. 跟风效应：一旦几家大公司采用了这种圆形括约肌美学，所有人都会效仿。现在我们所处的行业里，脱颖而出意味着看起来要和其他人的“肛门”一模一样。基本上，这和许多品牌更改 Logo 后变得千篇一律的原因是一样的。
Design by committee: Another factor is how these logos are created. Important corporate decisions involve many stakeholders. The result is often the safest, most inoffensive option, the average of everyone’s opinions. In design meetings at AI companies, conversations probably sound like: “Can we make it more futuristic? It needs to feel advanced but approachable. Let’s add a subtle gradient to convey intelligence.” No single person suggests making a logo that resembles an anus, but when everyone’s feedback gets incorporated, that’s what often emerges. Risk aversion in corporate environments naturally pushes designs toward familiar, “safe” territory, which apparently means anatomical openings. 委员会设计：另一个因素是这些 Logo 的创作方式。重要的企业决策涉及许多利益相关者。结果往往是最安全、最无害的选择，即所有人意见的平均值。在 AI 公司的设计会议上，对话听起来可能是这样的：“我们能让它更有未来感吗？它需要感觉先进但平易近人。让我们加一个微妙的渐变来传达智能感。”没有哪个人会提议做一个像肛门的 Logo，但当所有人的反馈都被整合进去时，结果往往就是这样。企业环境中的风险规避自然会将设计推向熟悉的、“安全”的领域，而这显然意味着解剖学上的开口。
What this says about tech branding: This phenomenon reveals something deeper about the tech industry: the fear of standing out too much. Despite claims of innovation and disruption, there’s tremendous pressure to look legitimate by conforming to established visual language. When OpenAI’s sphincter-like logo became successful, it created a template that said, “This is what serious AI looks like.” Now, any new AI company that doesn’t resemble a colorful anatomical opening risks being seen as unserious or unprofessional. 这说明了科技品牌形象的什么问题：这种现象揭示了科技行业更深层的东西：害怕过于显眼。尽管声称创新和颠覆，但通过遵循既定的视觉语言来显得“正统”，存在着巨大的压力。当 OpenAI 的括约肌状 Logo 取得成功时，它创造了一个模板，告诉人们：“这就是严肃 AI 该有的样子。”现在，任何看起来不像彩色解剖开口的新 AI 公司，都有被视为不严肃或不专业的风险。
Tech design trends through history: This isn’t the first time tech design has gone through a conformity phase. Consider these previous waves: 1990s-2000s: 3D and Glossy - Remember when every logo needed a drop shadow and a glassy shine? Apple’s aqua interface set the standard. 2010-2013: Skeuomorphism - Digital designs mimicking physical… 科技设计史上的趋势：这并不是科技设计第一次经历从众阶段。考虑一下之前的几波浪潮：1990 年代至 2000 年代：3D 和光泽感——还记得每个 Logo 都需要投影和玻璃光泽的时候吗？苹果的 Aqua 界面设定了标准。2010 年至 2013 年：拟物化——模仿物理实体的数字设计……