Everybody wants to stand out as a band or as a solo artist in this industry and how do you do that? What is the one image that people will see first and want to have emblazoned on their t-shirt to show who their favorite band is? You’ve guessed it, the logo!
Why is it so important to get it right and what should it say about your band or you as an artist? What are the cool music logos and do you need some ideas for logo designs? Well, you have come to the right place as we will delve deep into everything ‘logo’. You’ll be as well known as the famous lips for The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Pink Floyd or Nirvana.
Why Are Music Logos So Important?
Music logos tell you everything you need about the band. What color and typography they used, the size of the text and the placement of the words all have an impact on whether it will be memorable. Now you want to create a good music logo and so it is best to brainstorm with your bandmates to come up with what your logo needs to represent.
In short, your music logo will create your identity as a band and once it is out there, you can’t change it as it will be synonymous with you. So choose wisely.
Remember either as an emerging artist or a famous band, everybody needs a logo that will stand out. People will get to know you through this branding and in time, people will want to wear your name on their t-shirts, hoodie, mug – you name it! Merch is such a huge part of a brand’s marketing that once you have a music logo, it will be easy to turn into profitable sales.
What Does Your Music Logo Say?
What will this logo represent and will it be authentic to you as an artist? Do you want it to strengthen your brand, reveal it to the masses, for the world to see? Your logo is your own identity in visual form so really think about what it means to you first and then you can try out logos in terms of font, colors, size etc.
Have you thought about what you want the music logo to feature on merchandise and is this part of your choice or are you just wanting it to stand out in the first instance? You all have to agree on the final logo, so if it takes you a while, then that’s fine.
Which Other Similar Bands Are Out There?
Look at other bands who have a similar band style/music to you and make sure not to emulate their logo, but see it as a way to give you an idea of what you could create. For example, if you wanted some metal band logo ideas, then you could look at Metallica or Iron Maiden and see what they have done.
Black and a crazy patterned font will usually work for metal bands, but of course this will be in contrast with an artist whose genre is more aligned with pop music or hip hop like Beyonce or Tame Impala. It really does depend on the genre and what you are trying to communicate to your fans. Who are they, and what is their demographic?
What Color Should You Use?
The color will help your music logo stand out and even just the font of the band if this is all you chose to do with it, needs some thought. Again, you can look at other similar artists, but color does elicit emotional responses, so the color you decide on will affect your audience. For example, blue, green, yellow, purple and black will evoke different responses. We are very visual so take this into consideration when choosing the color of your branding.
Red evokes danger, passion, love and anger, whereas by contrast green means new Beginnings, Abundance, Nature. Yellow will embrace warmth, hope and happiness.
For example, Black Sabbath chose a purple and black logo of the band’s name which may evoke mystery, elegance, and evil but also in 1975 they created a well-known mascot emblem. It was iconic as it had a winged figure with horns and a devil tail, who was given the name of Henry. He represented the rebellious spirit and has both angelic and diabolical traits to him. This official symbol became synonymous with the band.
Imagery Or Words?
This leads me to my next tip for creating a music band logo that will stand out. Have you thought about whether you wanted to use just imagery or words or both? It may be best to choose just one style and keep it simple, but as you can see from Gun N’ Roses, they have managed to create a design that utilizes both very well. You can be very literal in terms of your logo as they have done.
You do not have to use writing at all, but it can be useful to have your name so that if you are an emerging artist people know who you are. This is your opportunity to get creative, so really test out some styles and see what works and what doesn’t. David Bowie made a bold impact in just using his name but also he is famous for the lighting strike symbol too, so it really is up to you. Let your creativity mould into shape what the final music logo is going to be.
The Size Of Your Music Logo
How large do you want your font or typography to be, and the location of this is all important to how much the logo will stand out. Look for example, the difference in music logo size between The Kinks pink logo and Depeche Mode.
Changing Your Music Logo
Once you have your music logo ready to go and created, it is best to keep it the same as that is what people will resonate with in terms of your band, or you as a solo artist. However you may find that as you grow and evolve your logo may change too. You may decide to edit it slightly if you are using the logo across social media platforms for example compared to the image on your band poster for your tour, which works better with intricate markings.
Famous Band Logos
- The Rolling Stones
- Pink Floyd
- AC/DC
- Metallica
- Kiss
- Iron Maiden
- Nirvana
- Guns N’ Roses
These definitely stand out in terms of their music logos!! And there are some famous metal band logos that people would recognise instantly. That is what you want as an artist.
Music Logo Websites
If you are looking for websites to create some hot artist brand logos, then look no further. Some offer free band logo software which makes it easy to create a logo in no time.
BrandCrowd
BrandCrowd is an online creative marketplace that helps start-ups, businesses and entrepreneurs find and create their perfect logo – in minutes. They offer free and inexpensive logo templates for beginners and small business owners that make getting your logo a simple and painless process. BrandCrowd also owns and manages DesignCrowd, a custom design marketplace.
Other logo design and creation sites we think are worth giving a try are:
- Looka
- DesignEvo
- Placeit
- DesignMantic
- Designhill
- Tailor Brands
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, you should be ready now to go out and create your own music logo. Take your time with it and try out different styles which will be a nod to your roots and vision as an artist. Keep it simple but also design something that will attract the attention of your fans. Get inspired, and design a professional logo for your band to show to the world.
Are You A Musician Or Artist?
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