The Story Behind Our Logo: The Birth of the Scintillating Starburst

While designing a logo for Recursia®, LLC, our founder and lead artist, Michael Karlovich, stumbled upon a visual illusion that had yet to be detailed in academic studies. This fascinating find was recognized as a finalist in the International Best Illusion of the Year competition, hosted by the Neural Correlate Society in 2020. You can view the video entry below or explore a detailed blog post written by Michael and Pascal about this illusion.

The intriguing principles and perceptual phenomena of this illusion were further explored through a scientific collaboration between Michael Karlovich and the Fox Lab at the New York University Center for Neural Science. This study was under the insightful guidance of acclaimed neuroscience professor and author, Pascal Wallisch, Ph.D. You can access the peer-reviewed article for free, or browse through an extensive collection of related and equally captivating "scintillating ray" illusions.

To experience the illusion for yourself, simply focus your gaze on the "R" at the center of the logo. Many observers report a "shimmering" or "scintillating" effect, with rays that seem to radiate from the logo's center and extend to its outer edge. It's important to remember, these "rays" are a visual illusion crafted by your own brain.

If you're captivated by this unique illusion and would like to own a piece of it, you can purchase products featuring the Recursia Logo and the sunray illusion.