Design your way

If you have a band, you’ll also need a great music logo. Having a band is all about moving the crowd with your sound. It’s also about having great music logos for t-shirts or album covers. Your band is your business and great music designs will help you to sell your product.

If you are not sure which music logo ideas will work for you and your band, follow our guide. From vintage to modern we have a music logo style which will speak to you and your band.

Let’s take a look at the music logo ideas which will make your band easily identifiable to fans.

Looking at music logos

You might be wondering why you’ll need a music logo at all. It is the sound that counts right? Your fans recognise your sound.

If you want to reach out to those fans, show them where you will be playing next, and where to find your new releases, it helps to have a great logo which will make you instantly identifiable.

You can use this logo in all your YouTube profiles as well as in your social media images.

Your logo will help your fans to identify you. They will also help new fans to understand your band and what you represent. It is therefore crucial to come up with a carefully designed image.

The graphics, typography and colours you use in your music logo should all represent your band well. The overall vibe a good music logo creates should share who you are as musicians.

Your music app logos, music store logos and music artist logos should all reflect the value of your band.

Using a music logo for your business

Your music logo shares your values and identity as a band. When you use a music logo it will encourage potential fans to connect with your band before they have heard your music.

A band logo introduces you to your future customers and helps your fans to identify you. Music logos are all about identity.

Regardless of whether you are an established band, a new group trying to attract talent, a music producer or a retailer selling band equipment, people will begin to identify you through your music logo.

A well designed musical logo will therefore help you to make a great first impression.

Your logo is therefore an opportunity to sell yourself before you even set foot on stage or share your products. Your fans will have a graphic representation of who you are.

By placing your logo identity onto websites, social media sites, album covers and merchandise, your fans will be able to identify your brand.

Why do you need a music logo design?

In short, you want your fans to be able to identify who you are. As a musician, you may feel as though a logo will confine you by defining who you are and what you stand for. However, a music logo can show how dynamic you are.

There are two different types of designers, those who work in-house and those who work as freelancers. A freelance designer will work within your guidelines in order to produce a music logo which best suits your brand.

An in-house designer works with a big agency that will set standards for your design. Both will be able to work within your guidelines as a client.

As a client, ask yourself what you want your brand to represent. Draw up and explain the values of your brand, the message you communicate and what you have to say before you approach a freelance designer or advertising agency.

You can share that you want your band to be seen as dynamic, classic, or on trend. Your designer will work according to your brief, interpreting your vision into a visual language.

Whether you work with a freelance designer or an in-house team, your music logo design will create a visual representation of your band so that your clients can identify with you.

Themes for music logo designs

Psychedelic logo designs

In 1969, Woodstock was a place where hippies gathered to celebrate peace and love. Woodstock took place in New York State and so began an interaction between design and music. As youth culture began to ‘tune in and drop out’ art began to reflect this psychedelic culture.

Music posters of this era became filled with bright patterns and vivid colours. Letters dripped. Designers became inspired by psychedelic culture and this art form has remained a part of design culture.

Music festivals remain a popular part of the party scene and many acknowledge their psychedelic roots.

Psychedelic drawings or images often appear distorted and use uncommon and very bright color combinations. They create a trippy logo which invites fans to explore the landscapes of the mind by taking part in a psychedelic vision quest.

Psychedelics represent a sense of otherworldliness. Many trippy logos can be intricate but do not have to be. Contemporary psychedelic logos may use ink splashes or geometric design to challenge the norm and create a sense of distortion or otherworldliness.

Music logos using psychedelic imagery can use the distorted lettering, vivid patterns or bright colors of times gone by, but combine them with modern elements to give a new twist.

Pop artist logos

Pop music is fun, playful and it appeals to a wide audience. Pop logos often include a range of cool music designs which include playful typography, bright colors and happy looking shapes. The goal of a pop music logo is to appear happy, friendly and approachable.

Lines are often bubbly and music icons are often included in the logo design. Thick lines are often used to create a playful element to pop artist logos.

Edgy or tough band logos

Far from being friendly and approachable, many musicians prefer to appear tough, cool or ‘badass’. Some appear to have been around the block a few times, some are new to the music scene, but all radiate a tough quality. Grunge rockers, metal heads, alternative bands and ‘outlaw’ country rockers often have a carefully constructed image.

Old leather, worn texture, and messy styling give the impression that bands are tough and edgy. Pointed lettering or imagery is often used in tough logos to create the impression of sharp edges. Bands such as Metallica are famous for their sharp typography.

Sound and instrumental icons

Many musical logo images draw on traditional symbols to incorporate into a design. Think of a big band that would draw on the imagery of a piano, or a jazz band that may use a saxophone. Music hall artists may incorporate a microphone into their logo designs. Some designers combine musical imagery with formal typography to give an old world charm to their music symbols logo designs.

Electronic or world music

Music has always been linked to maths or technological development. Both speak a common language and this is perhaps why music and technology combine so well. As technology has developed into a digital world, music has entered a new arena. Electronic sounds and world music offer a new sound to music lovers.

Geometric music brand logos have been associated with the electronic music era, creating a modern aesthetic for music producers or bands that operate in this high tech and very structured musical dimension.

Classic rock logos

A rock music logo is there to show the power of culture and how music combined to push the barriers. The Rolling Stones pushed the boundaries of conservative sexual beliefs and their music logo design showed a tongue emerging provocatively from a set of sexy lips.

The Doors wanted to break on through conventional social norms. As a classic rock band, their name symbolised the breaking of a boundary. Their name used psychedelic typography and bold geometry which was the best music logo to show the bold poetry and deep myth which the band explored.

Gorillaz emerged onto the music scene during the 90’s when hip hop music was dominant. The band used a graffiti style music logo to share their hip hop roots.

Fast forward to modern times and a DIY recording culture where bands simply don’t have time to become rock legends in the way U2 or The Rolling Stones did. Tenderfoot have a music company logo uses faded textures and lettering from an earlier era to share their classic roots.

The company may not have an awesome rock music logo like the Rolling Stones or a great vintage music logo like the doors did. However they have a new music logo which is appropriate to the times. Nobody can beat this company when it comes to sharing an appropriate message that fans just ‘get’.

The building blocks of a great music logo

If you’re looking at creating a great logo for music, don’t expect yourself to come up with a brilliant concept instantly. Rome wasn’t built in a day and there is no need to create too much pressure. The following hints and tips will help you to come up with a great concept which will guide your music logo design.

Keep your music logo design simple

Your goal is to create a design which is instantly recognizable. Think of some of the famous music logos for The Beatles or The Doors.

The text is simple and easily recognizable. Minimalism is not simply a trend. Instead, it is a way of working which will stand the test of time. Learning to create simple but easily identifiable logos is the true art behind music logo design.

Pick your colors according to your message

A fun band logo would use bright and happy colors while black might be used for alternative bands. Colour evokes emotion so think about what you want your logo to represent. Careful use of color will speak to your audience but it does have to be tailored towards your band’s values.

Simply adding accents will create a strong message. By limiting your color range you’ll be able to create a subtle message. As an added bonus, limited use of color will also save you on printing costs.

Use versatility in your music logo design

When you are a new band, your band symbol will most likely use lettering and an iconic image. As you become well known, your fans will often recognize you by your logo image alone. While creating your logo, ensure both your typography and your imagery will have meaning while used separately.

Typography matters in all music logo design

No matter what message you are sending typography matters. The best music logo designs have always paid careful attention to lettering. From the dripping, distorted image of psychedelic bands to the geometric designs in digital music, all music logo designs take lettering into account.

If you are a band which oozes old world charm, go for a font with a serif. A bright and happy modern pop band would use a rounded font. Go for pointed letters for a more edgy look.

Select a bold image for your music logo

What does your band stand for? The sexuality of The Rolling Stones is captured in their great logo image. By exploring what you want to say with your music logo, you’ll be able to capture your message in a great image.

Make your logo iconic

If you are offering a range of different music services, a logo which is iconic may be best for you. Think of the Island Records music company logo which is easily identifiable. Real World recording studios are identifiable as colored stripes on the side of a recording label.

The company produces world music but is also associated with recording artist Peter Gabriel. This iconic logo identifies both brand and performer with its music studio logos.

Your music logo design should be both simple and precise

You will want your logo design to be simple and easy to identify. At the same time, all music logo designs should send out a message. Think of famous logo designs which identify an artist or band immediately. Spotify has a logo which is easy to identify and represents streaming music or sound waves.

Think out of the box when looking for music logo inspiration

You will want your logo to be both easily identifiable and quite unique. By finding inspiration in a range of different activities you will be able to come up with a great logo design. If you are looking for logo inspiration for a gritty urban band, look at the colors of the city.

A jazz band logo may find inspiration from the lighting in a hotel lobby. Pop bands may have the bright and happy colors of bubblegum.

You don’t have to settle on a single idea. Play around with fonts, imagery, color and texture until you find a great design which suits your band. Make sure your look connects to your band’s message and you’ll find a music logo which connects with your audience.

Extra Tips for designing a music logo

There’s no denying that your band means everything to you. Expressing your core values is not only an important design concept but a symbol of your artistic integrity.

It may be a challenge to create a logo which speaks to your core values. These extra tips will guide you towards fine-tuning your final designs.

Get inspiration from the lyrics

Music lyrics are often poetic. Drops of Jupiter, the scream of the butterfly and Brown Sugar all create vivid imagery which can help with logo design. Ask yourself what it is that your fans love most about you? Which lyrics do they sing along to at your concerts?

You can always draw inspiration from these lyrics for your logo design. If nothing else they will be instantly recognisable if you use them in your music logo.

Use your own unique font

Your font is often easy to recognise if it belongs to you and you alone. Rock band Metallica, with their pointed letters and edgy designs are instantly recognisable simply because of their font.

You may prefer to have a font developed which is unique to your band and music logo. If you can’t afford this, you could always create a unique colour and letter combination which remains consistent across time. Your lettering style, colour choices and the spacing of your letters will all combine to create a uniqueness which can be used repeatedly as your band grows.

Let your genre guide you

As shared earlier, each band shares a message. A grunge or gothic band would not benefit from the bright and happy colours associated with pop. While designing your music logo, stay true to your brand’s identity. If you change sounds, it may be time to redesign your logo to suit your current image.

Let your fans help with your music logo design

You want your fans to love your band logo. After all, they will be purchasing your music and wearing your merchandise. If you have come up with a couple of logo options give your fans the vote.

Elements to include in a music artist logo

Here are some elements to focus on when designing your music logo:

Iconic imagery is often more simple and easily recognisable than detailed designs.
Limit your colour choices. Monochromatic colours are very effective in music logo designs.
Focus on your imagery and allow your logo to speak. Iconic images will one day stand alone.
The more universal your logo, the more likely it is to appeal to a broad audience. Use colour sensitively.
Explore famous band logos and find your inspiration amongst your genre.

Ending thoughts on the music logo

The more simple or iconic your music logo design, the better. Your goal is to create a logo which speaks to your audience and is easily identifiable. As mobile devices become increasingly popular, a simple design will convert well. You’ll also want to create a design which will look as good on merchandise as it will in the social media world.

Draw on inspiration from your audience as well as famous logo designs to create a unique and easily identifiable logo for your band. Remember that your music logo design will stand with you through thick and thin. It is worth taking the time to invest in it.

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