The Greatest Band Logo of all Time

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My vote goes to PE's S1W in crosshairs, w/ Warhol's Jagger lips a close second. You?

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:40 (twenty-two years ago)

http://members.aol.com/WinterTor/yeslogo.GIF

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

No.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)

hmmmm, I'd vote for Wu-Tang or Parliament and Funkadelic.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 28 April 2003 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

http://users.erols.com/starzcentral/images/3d_logo.gif

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

its very Strokes like aint it? ( hmmm... its also backwards?!)

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.geocities.com/fraxs37/f-rules.JPG

there are better version of this logo, but no better logo.

― dan (dan), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

So many to choose from, and I believe we've done this, but I'm-a hafta go with the....

http://www.stranglers.co.uk/StrangleLOGOr3.gif

http://www.onethirtyeight.com/graphics-2/header_01.gif

http://logo.cafepress.com/8/128068.jpg

http://www.buyacdc.com/images/poster.gif

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.cs.tufts.edu/~stratton/maiden/imlogo.gif

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Oasis had a great footie influenced one, sadly they abandoned it and their new logo sucks

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 28 April 2003 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.darkthrone.no/images/front.gif

― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 28 April 2003 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Fishbone and the Grateful Dead both have decent logos, but I think Mark still has the best picks so far.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 28 April 2003 21:22 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.motaboy.free.fr/conseils/pennywise.jpg

Brings back horrible, horrible memories...

― jm (jtm), Monday, 28 April 2003 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Blue Oyster Cult's is pretty sweet.

― David Allen, Monday, 28 April 2003 22:15 (twenty-two years ago)

And....of course....

http://www.imotorhead.com/logos/glinta.gif

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 28 April 2003 22:41 (twenty-two years ago)

µ-ziq's is nice, but can't be arsed to post a pic.

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 28 April 2003 23:00 (twenty-two years ago)

the Anal Cunt logo is vaguely entertaining

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 28 April 2003 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

http://abba.musichall.cz/pics/ABBA.anim.gif

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 28 April 2003 23:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I still stand by the Yes logo. Honorable mention to this one too though:
http://members.aol.com/lbryandlc/pinklogo.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 28 April 2003 23:11 (twenty-two years ago)

We have these threads like every single month, but I will never ever ever get tired of posting this:

http://www.divinerites.com/images/rb_book.gif

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Monday, 28 April 2003 23:26 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.123posters.com/images/m-pink-02.jpg

― Evan (Evan), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

The key to a good design is the ability to draw it, like, 500 times, just to get it, like, 2 times

http://home.speedsite.com/ickyjoey/BeavisandButthead.JPG

― jm (jtm), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

http://userpic.livejournal.com/921609/435049

― Dave M. (rotten03), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

(i am going to get a patch made and sew it on the back of a leather jacket)

― Dave M. (rotten03), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.odarainternet.com.br/supers/musica/imagens/pulp-logo.gif

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 02:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Dave is GAY

― Savin All My Love 4 u (Savin 4ll my (heart) 4u), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 04:22 (twenty-two years ago)

...ur all rocks

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 04:29 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.arte-tv.com/musique/EN/image/symbol.gif

― Elliot (Elliot), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 05:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Not a single mention of Kiss? Probably the opriginal great band logo?

― brendan, Tuesday, 29 April 2003 05:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Great bands don't need bullshit gimmicks.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 10:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Great bands don't need bullshit gimmicks.

"Great" and "bullshit" are relative terms.

I was always struck by the irony of the Kiss logo, designed by somewhat dimwitted Ace Frehley, incorporating the German "SS" insignia and instigating a flurry of misrepresentation (given the fact that both Paul and Gene are Jewish.) There was an unauthorized, tell-all book a couple of years back that alleged that Ace harboured some disquietingly right-wing sympathies (offering up cocktail napkins with various attempts at the Kiss logo incorporating swastikas that supposedly were penned by the Space Ace).

Then, of course, there are the idiots who think the name is an acronymn for "Knights in Satan's Service," so go figure.

http://www.rockmerch.com/images/KISS12l.JPG

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 11:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Lest we forget.......

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00001QEG4.01.LZZZZZZZ.gif

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 11:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Like, DUH!!! Extra added points for having been the logo of a school of art and design, therefore it is extra cool and groovy and nicely designed...

http://www.partium.com/~andrewb/bauhaus/logo.gif

― kate, Tuesday, 29 April 2003 12:44 (twenty-two years ago)

C'mon, like 'em or not, this is great logo: http://www.van-halen.com/newsite/oldvhlogo.jpg

― christoff (christoff), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

My top 3:

1 - Yes
2 - Aphex Twin
3 - Blur

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 14:55 (twenty-two years ago)

The only one I've ever seen tattoo'd on someone's flesh:

http://www.smartalecmusic.com/fishbone_logo.gif

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, DUH!!! The only band sticker I've ever put on a back of my car - and I made the sticker from scratch...

http://www.quartzcity.net/spacemen3/sp3-threebie3.gif

― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 08:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Bauhaus rocks! Well, goths!

Nickalicious, Fishbone are playing MS1 in Cardiff (near me) on Saturday, is it worth going? I think I heard one of their songs about ten years ago but can't remember what it was like.

― mei (mei), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 10:42 (twenty-two years ago)

The ABBA logo is definitely the greatest band logo of all time.

Too many bands chop and change their logos, even when they have a great one - The Cure, The Cult, Siouxsie.... have all had brilliant logos, but they never stick with them for more than an album or two.

― russ t, Wednesday, 30 April 2003 11:04 (twenty-two years ago)

― J (Jay), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, I already namechecked the Spacemen3 one as being possibly the only one I'd ever get tattooed on me. (That said, I very nearly did get the L&R acid logo tattooed on me, but I fortunately changed my mind...)

― kate, Wednesday, 30 April 2003 12:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Throbbing Gristle of course

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 12:55 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

I like Black Box Recorder's rebus-type logo. Plus it's easy to draw in MS Paint:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/olem/bbr.jpg

― OleM (OleM), Saturday, 30 July 2005 12:57 (twenty years ago)

A black box and a "record" button -- Oh my fucking god, I just got it!!

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Saturday, 30 July 2005 13:36 (twenty years ago)

http://members.aol.com/roxellen/monkees/mystuff/biglogo.gif

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 30 July 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

http://www.civilisation-records.com/assets/images/BLACK_FLAG_2.jpg

― The Original Jimmy Mod (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Saturday, 30 July 2005 16:02 (twenty years ago)

Screeching Weasel to thread!

― matulageci (matulageci), Saturday, 30 July 2005 16:11 (twenty years ago)

Black Flag, clearly!

― latebloomer: You may order a puppet similar to this one (latebloomer), Saturday, 30 July 2005 18:07 (twenty years ago)

though this is a close second for me:

http://www.oneposter.com/UserData/Poster/Poster_14222.jpg

― latebloomer: You may order a puppet similar to this one (latebloomer), Saturday, 30 July 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

aphex, neubauten, misfits get honorary mentions.

― latebloomer: You may order a puppet similar to this one (latebloomer), Saturday, 30 July 2005 18:10 (twenty years ago)

http://www.leninimports.com/def_leppard_triangle_patch.jpg
see, it stacks into a triangle!

― p.j. (Henry), Saturday, 30 July 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

Dude! It's the same rightside up as upside down!

But truthfully, I prefer the ones without words yet are instantly recognizable.

PE, Rolling Stones, Black Flag, Fishbone etc. I don't see the Husker Du logo yet - not the words being torn in two, but the three-part cross in a circle, tho, so...

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Saturday, 30 July 2005 19:44 (twenty years ago)

stones

― peter smith (plsmith), Saturday, 30 July 2005 19:47 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, my favorite is stones too...I was just kiddin' about def lep.
Also PiL.

― p.j. (Henry), Saturday, 30 July 2005 20:06 (twenty years ago)

http://scanimate.zfx.com/Pics/lz.gif

― gear (gear), Saturday, 30 July 2005 20:18 (twenty years ago)

http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/_data/objects/109564/logo_thumbnail.gif

― gear (gear), Saturday, 30 July 2005 20:19 (twenty years ago)

heavy metal and hardcore punk are very logocentric genres!

― latebloomer: You may order a puppet similar to this one (latebloomer), Saturday, 30 July 2005 20:23 (twenty years ago)

i suppose the Nine Inch Nails logo warrants a mention:

http://accordionguy.blogware.com/Photos/2005/02/Nine_Inch_Nails.png

its not the 'best' logo but it is distinctive and instantly identifiable. its kinda like the golden arches of band logos.

― latebloomer: You may order a puppet similar to this one (latebloomer), Saturday, 30 July 2005 20:26 (twenty years ago)

Indie rock hasn't been very conducive to logos, has it - discounting the Weezer's "ironic" (i.e. "we're way beyond this shit but feel free to draw it in your notebooks anyway") =W=.

The Silver Jews have a... a font, I guess.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Saturday, 30 July 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

see, it stacks into a triangle!

Not without a bunch of extraneous lines, it doesn't!

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Saturday, 30 July 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

The greatest :

http://www.deepturtle.net/image/magma-logo.gif

Not the greatest :

http://www.interpunk.com/itemimages2/13659.gif

― Matt #2 (Matt #2), Saturday, 30 July 2005 22:27 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://webzoom.freewebs.com/bandpictures/T-Shirts/Motorhead%20Shirt.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 30 July 2005 22:34 (twenty years ago)

http://7band-t.com/tshirt/13736/LTMOTORH01-up.jpg http://7band-t.com/tshirt/13736/LTMOTORH01-up.jpg http://7band-t.com/tshirt/13736/LTMOTORH01-up.jpg http://7band-t.com/tshirt/13736/LTMOTORH01-up.jpg ihttp://7band-t.com/tshirt/13736/LTMOTORH01-up.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 30 July 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

Take a good look at that warthog or whatever the hell it is. The tusks go into it's mouth. Is that realistic? It looks stupid. It looks stupider that there is a (padlocked?) chain on the tusks which serve no purpose, though. They're not busted off shackles. That's either a skull-shaped padlock still closed or just a ring with a tooth and a shrunken head-skull on it. On the other side, we have a very tiny mace hanging from a studded leather wristband. This thing is stupid!

― Motorhead's cool, but..., Saturday, 30 July 2005 22:54 (twenty years ago)

You're dead to me.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 30 July 2005 22:57 (twenty years ago)

http://otnehs.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/heartagram.jpg

I like H,I.M. because I guessed what the letters stood for before I confirmed it. I guess it's pretty obvious or something.

But, what came first? The logo for the band or the logo for all the skater shit? http://www.vkskate.com/Heartagram.html

― H.I.M., Saturday, 30 July 2005 23:05 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000000WCV.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

No one's done it yet? FOR SHAME PEOPLE

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Saturday, 30 July 2005 23:25 (twenty years ago)

As a graphic designer, I've gotta go with this one:
*Perhaps not the "greatest," but for sheer non-textual recognizability, what else comes close?

http://www.oneposter.com/UserData/Poster/Poster_13290.jpg

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Saturday, 30 July 2005 23:34 (twenty years ago)

WRONG!!!!

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Saturday, 30 July 2005 23:49 (twenty years ago)

http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif
http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif
http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif
http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif
ihttp://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif

― Voodoo Child, Saturday, 30 July 2005 23:51 (twenty years ago)

http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif
http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif
http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif
http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif
http://www.cmp-members.com/pages03/ozma/img/ozma_logo.gif

― Voodoo Child, Saturday, 30 July 2005 23:51 (twenty years ago)

Thanx to Austin for finding a big enough pic of the two-way Angel logo to do it justice!

I've got a personal fondness for both BOC's "Kronos" thing and MX-80's radar scope (& could'nt find good enuff pics of either) but I gotta agree that the Stones thing is the most effective and functional. Also great: Bauhaus, Aphex Twin, Fishbone, Husker Du (I like circles.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 30 July 2005 23:52 (twenty years ago)

*Perhaps not the "greatest," but for sheer non-textual recognizability, what else comes close?

That might have something to do with the band and the marketing, too. The Pepsi logo sure ain't great, but it's convenient enough that they can slap it everywhere. This reminds me of back when I was in art school, one of the first logos we analyzed was Coca Cola and everyone thought it was great until the teacher convinced us it was an average relic from a bygone era that we'd become simply used to seeing everywhere.

― As A Graphic Designer, I Disagree With The Other Graphic Designer, Sunday, 31 July 2005 00:17 (twenty years ago)

wow, the judas priest one IS nice.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Sunday, 31 July 2005 00:20 (twenty years ago)

http://www.cosc.brocku.ca/~bross/texture/zippy2c.gif

― The Odd Thing About The Judas Priest Logo Is That It's On A Slant And So It Is A, Sunday, 31 July 2005 00:48 (twenty years ago)

...looked good on the razor, though.

― Zippy, Sunday, 31 July 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

Rolling Stones logo: "As A Graphic Designer, I Disagree With The Other Graphic Designer"

Well, if I'm going to err on the side of bad taste, it's somewhat of a comfort knowing that that bad taste was shared by Andy Warhol. I don't like it ONLY for its ubiquity OR b/c Warhol designed it but, you know, just cause I sorta like it (although its "greatness" is perhaps quantified to a degree by those characteristics).

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Sunday, 31 July 2005 23:13 (twenty years ago)

http://musicmoz.org/img/editors/pipvis/numan_tubewayarmy.jpg

one for the home team

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Sunday, 31 July 2005 23:52 (twenty years ago)

I've always had a soft spot for this one:

http://www.citizinemag.com/music/0309_klausfluoride1.3.JPG

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Monday, 1 August 2005 11:21 (twenty years ago)

http://student.vub.ac.be/~mchome/kewl%20metallica%20logo.gif

that ninja star fuckings sucks though.

― AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 1 August 2005 11:32 (twenty years ago)

1/yes logo
2/b.o.c. logo
3/bauhaus logo

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 1 August 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)

Not that I like the band, or think the logo is any cop, but it's probably been on the most band t-shirts over the past decade:

http://www.boomnet.dk/ugfx/4574/gallery/logo20nirvana1.jpg_160_border_000000.jpeg

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Monday, 1 August 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)

http://www.drumspace.org/images/The-Who---logo.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 1 August 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

One of my co-workers used to work for the guy that designed this classic:

http://www.bighairmetal.com/ratt_logo.jpg

― darin (darin), Monday, 1 August 2005 18:14 (twenty years ago)

Black Flag, just from a design perspective I think (not a real huge BF fan), is pretty amazing....it's so simple and identifiable....it just conveys so much with just four simple offset bars...

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 1 August 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

http://scoopsnoodle.com/lc.jpg

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:56 (twenty years ago)

seven years pass...

Who was the graphic designer who designed all those awesome 70's southern rock and country band logos? I can't remember any specifics, but want to say Marshall Tucker Band is one of his. All the ones that looked like coked-out smoked-out belt buckles. A few years back on ilx, someone linked to a great article about him. Help?

― Judah Ben Ghazi (how's life), Tuesday, 20 November 2012 16:30 (thirteen years ago)

MIchael Manoogian? There was just a metafilter post about him:

http://www.metafilter.com/121978/When-the-novelty-wore-off-we-got-back-to-basics

― bendy, Tuesday, 20 November 2012 17:05 (thirteen years ago)

Yes! Although I guess I was wrong about Marshall Tucker Band. Thanks so much.

― Judah Ben Ghazi (how's life), Tuesday, 20 November 2012 18:24 (thirteen years ago)

http://www.alicephieu.com/bandlogodesign/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Voivod-Logo.jpg

― Nate Carson, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 01:30 (thirteen years ago)

Iron Maiden... it has become an actual font these days.

― SeanWayne, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 02:15 (thirteen years ago)

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