Design concepts behind classic rock band logos

You know those classic band logos that seem…timeless? The ones on t-shirts and posters that almost everybody recognizes instantly?
Do you ever wonder about the stories behind those iconic logos?
Take the Rolling Stones logo, for example.

Picture: Rolling Stones

In 1969, tired of designs provided by their record label, Mick Jagger decided to search for an art student at the Royal College of Art to come up with an image for the band. (This was back when signature logos for bands weren’t a huge thing yet.)
John Pasche was the student he found. It took Pasche two weeks to create the “Tongue and Lip Design” logo (for a commission of 55 pounds, which equals about $77). Ledegend has it that Jagger wanted an image representing Kali, the Hindu goddess of eternal energy, who does in fact have a prominent mouth and sticks out her tongue. But Pasche actually drew his inspiration from Jagger’s large mouth – “Face-to-face with him, the first thing you were aware of was the size of his lips and mouth,” Pasche said.
I mean, it’s true.

Mick Jagger
Picture: Mick Jagger

Thrilled by the awesome new logo, the Rolling Stones gave Pasche a bonus 200 pounds. Now it’s owned by a museum in London, who bought it for $92,500.
Dubbed “Hot Lips,” the logo debuted on the 1971 Sticky Fingers LP. Arguably the most popular band logo ever, obviously the band has never retired it, and the logo has endured for over 45 years now.
"Hot Lips" is known as a symbol of sex and defiance – Pasche said he wanted “something anti-authority” – and it sums up in a clear, classic image the concepts the band creates music about.

Another logo I find interesting is the Nirvana logo:

Picture: Nirvana

So of course no one really knows where the smiley face in Nirvana's logo came from -- none of the many theories have been confirmed. It quite possibly comes from the logo of a former Seattle strip club, The Lusty Lady. 

The text "Nirvana" is set in Onyx font. The art director of Sub Pop Records, Lisa Orth, just told Grant Alden to use the font that was currently programmed into his typesetter. Not too complicated, but it's, you know, become timeless.

So what what is it in a band's logo that makes it an icon, a classic? I believe it's when the logo is clear, deceptively simple, yet sums up the band's ideas and identity in one glance. And that's what makes these logos interesting and thought-provoking.

Check out these lovely articles I drew from to create this post:

The Rolling Stones Logo

Another One About the Rolling Stones

The Nirvana Logo

The ultimate band graphic designer

Brandon Rike himself
Photo: Brandon Rike

There's a very talented freelance designer out there, Brandon Rike, who creates graphics for bands -- shirts, logos, album art, posters. As he says, "I live and breathe this stuff." It's not just about the end design, but the meaning, the concept behind the artwork. And it's important that what he designs is good -- timeless -- enough that years later, when he looks back on his artwork, it's still fully appreciated.

Brandon has designed several t-shirts for the band Jack's Mannequin
Photo: Brandon Rike

He has an interesting background -- ever since he was born, practically, he's loved art. It's his constant. When he was thirteen he and his friends started up a band and started going on the road after he graduated from high school. He loved designing his own band's graphics, and when he built relationships with other bands they toured with, he was able to design graphics for them as well. His band's last tour year was the same year he turned his graphic design into a full-time occupation. And he loves it.

In his words, "I had moments of feeling completely lost, I've had moments of feeling completely alone. I've been excited out of my mind, and I've wanted to run my head through a wall. But looking back on all of it, it all just feels like it's been a complete blast."

Recently, Brandon designed the album cover for Twenty One Pilot's "Blurryface." As always, he strove to capture the character of Blurryface's music in his graphics. For Brandon's in-depth explanation of the thought process that's behind this album's design (it's fascinating), check out his blog.

Blurryface album cover
Photo: Twenty One Pilots

So why is Brandon Rike featured in my first post? Because his work is inspiring for anybody who is interested in a career in graphic design. Exactly what he does is what fascinates me and many other aspiring graphic designers, and he throws himself into every aspect of what goes into his work. Plus, isn't his art super awesome to look at and think about?

Anyway, thanks for reading -- I'll (hopefully) be back next week with another fun fact day about graphic design for the music industry!