Remembering the logo
Posted by David Hepworth on 2 September 2008 - 7:10am.
So the V&A has paid £50,000 for John Pasche's original artwork for the Rolling Stones' tongue logo. Makes you wonder how the designers of the future will be able to cash in for their retirement when all they'll have to sell will be a Photoshop file.
It could be that we have already seen the golden age of the logo. What were your favourites?
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Here's three of mine.......
A few iconic ones
As they're commissioned works, wouldn't designers generally gave up all rights to their logos? I would imagine the commissioning artist normally owns the artwork, not the designer.
Probably the biggest threat to design is simply that of the move to electronic mediums. Sure you still need logos, but the space available on digital players must surely place restrictions on what will work.
Anyway, here's a few good 'uns.
I also found an interesting blog with lots of examples: http://pictograms.blogspot.com/
I liked Elvis' 'taking care of business' logo...
but it has been used in dubious ways...
More info on this unsightly object can be found here....
http://www.gunshopfinder.com/America_Remembers/Elvis_Presley_Revolver.ht...
Anybody know who did this one?
A Google suggests
a chap called Ivor Abiter is the ultimate originator.
From what I can piece together from a couple of posts, Abiter that was sent a number of swatches of oyster black pearl from the Ludwig drum company.
Ringo saw the pearl and liked it and agreed to switch to Ludwig drums if Abiter put the pearl on Ringo's Premier set.
Brian Epstein wanted the Beatles name on the drum skin to be bigger than the Ludwig logo so Abiter drew out exaggerated capitals B and T on a piece of stationary in order to highlight the word 'Beat' in the group's name.
Arbiter quickly drew a couple of sketches, and once signed off, took it to a sign painter called Eddie Stokes, who used to work for Arbiter painting logos on bass drum skins. Stokes refined the design somewhat. Abiter's original piece of paper on which he doodled his logo was chucked away, so it's impossible to judge which had the greatest contribution. The only thing known for sure about Arbiter's original sketch is that the long B and T were already there.
Unfortunately, none of the people from whom I've compiled this information could recall their source for the tale.
Great Story
Just googling further, it appears that Arbiter was also chairman of Hendon Football Club, was the man behind Arbiter Guitars, AND was responsible for introducing karaoke to the UK. What a guy.
The most iconic logo of them all....
I used to stare at this for hours when I was a kid
I used to think it was an incredibly powerful, mystical thing. Now it just looks homoerotic.
If Dennis Wheatley....
...had ever written a gay novel.
"The Devil Comes Out'...
perhaps?
Derek Jarman's "Damien"
Phew, what a concept.
Not the only bare-arsed man
on a Rush cover either.
I'm tempted to ask if this was perhaps intended to suggest Rush are a load of arse, but as I like Rush, I'm going to choose to believe it's because they're 'the shit' (as I believe the young people say).
No?
Yes
My school books were littered with this Roger Dean classic
It's all getting a bit
Lower sixth denim and patchouli oil for my liking
I think I can hear a racket going on in the metal work rooms you'd better get the deputy head .
an anorak writes...
the logo David H posted for The Stones is the one we all know from the Sticky Fingers album and which has been trotted out the most times. I know that there have been subtle variations upon it, most recently 'new tour/new tongue' but the picture here which claims to be 'the original' seems a bit different to the Red one up there, right?
It's all very "metal".....
Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Motorhead, AC/DC, Kiss, even Judas &*^%ing Priest....
Nothing touches the DeeCee logo though!
as posted earlier
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/barney-bubbles
sank with out trace, like most of mine...
i chipped in
you linked to an excellent site, but your entry died as you failed to mention Richard Thompson.
I really...
haven't got the hang of this place yet, maybe if I slip something in about Pet Sounds in future postings I'll be allowed to play
Cant post this type of thing...
...but every metal band worth their salt had a cool logo which made easy copying onto the cover of a school textbook.
Check out Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Anthrax and Motley Crue and Motorhead with their umlauts. Don't know how to post this stuff myself sorry... If some kind person can instruct I'll do it later...
Fishy
More for the band's name font than the cover.
Down At The Doctors
This guy does it for me every time.
I'm in two minds about going to see them next month - see previous entry about bands with no original members.
Doesn't that
make them a Dr Feelgood tribute act who need to give their name a little more thought?
Will this do?
http://www.spirit-of-rock.com/les%20goupes/E/Electric%20Light%20Orchestr...
A Feelgoods tribute act?
Doctored Feelgood?
Doctor Feelcod?
Mock the Feelgood?
?
The Stones logo
According to Stoneageromeo over at Popbitch:
John Pasche, the creator and seller of the Rolling Stones' lips logo, is meant to have only received £50 for his design. Not so. That may have been the cash that exchanged at the time but there was more: a promise that if they were still going in ten years time and using the logo, John could join the band. Ten years passed but instead of letting him join (the man is so quiet as to appear to have zero personality) that they bought him a rather grand house in Oxshott instead where he still lives.
Mute logo
With the demise of vinyl, I can no longer look at that little man walking around and around and around while enjoying the latest Depeche Mode single.
The Golden Age
The Clash is a tribute to/rip off of
School book years