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£ 44.99
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Logo Rhythm : Band Logos that Rocked the World
Classic Band Logos - Book - by Jim K Davies , Jamie Ellul
(2024)
The V&A may proudly hold the original artwork for the Rolling
Stone’s ‘tongue and lips’ logo, but this is an anomaly. The cultural
significance of the band logo has been overlooked. And yet, thousands of
people wear them on T-shirts every day, mostly as badges of allegiance,
but also simply because they look cool.
Some have even become
tropes – think The Ramones, Run DMC, AC/DC. (Q: How many people who wear
Ramones T-shirts have seen them live or know their music?)Band logos
first emerged during the 1960s. They became commonplace in the 1970s and
1980s, when record companies and designers latched on to the power of
music branding.
Bands and logos may seem like unlikely
bedfellows … yet it’s often the most eccentric, anarchic types who end
up with the most compelling or ingenious visual marques to signify their
attitude and style of music. It is also interesting how many
prominent graphic designers first became interested in logos and
letterforms by doodling the names of their favourite bands on their
school exercise books. Some of these efforts were reverential copies,
others were improvements or embellished versions of the original.
A wannabe designer’s version of attempting to emulate a Hendrix riff.
Logo Rhythm includes stories and insight from well-known designers such
as Beatles art director Kosh, Bowie designer Jonathan Barnbook, Malcom
Garrett, Rob O’Connor of Stylorouge, Chris Bigg of 4AD and editorial
guru Mark Porter. There are contributions from Horace Panter of The
Specials, XTC’s Andy Partridge, Allan Gorrie of Average White Band, Jim
McCarty of The Yardbirds and Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand.
The book hails the unsung heroes and tall stories behind iconic band
logos of all genres. It unearths original artwork and proffers informed
comment and critique. It celebrates the good, the eccentric and the
notorious, digging for nuggets of interest and illumination in the
compelling world of band logos.