Author and cultural commentator Paul Gorman reveals how The Blockheads’ logo was created during the course of a 10-minute phone call between Ian Dury and Barney Bubbles.
A2 — Average White Band
Average White Band bassist and founder member Alan Gorrie wishes he’d kept the napkin on which he designed his band’s cheeky logo back in the 1970s.
Z1 — Zapp
Ronald ‘Stozo the Clown’ Edwards, lifts the lid on his design for Zapp’s original logo. Interview by Norman Hathaway.
Y1 — The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds’ quirky, hand-drawn logo has stood the test of time, always managing to hit the right note, despite the band’s ever-changing sound and line-up.
X1 — XTC
There’s a powerful simplicity about XTC’s ‘face’ logo. Developed from little more than a doodle, it went on to become the star of two LP covers.
W1 — Wu-Tang Clan
Art editor and hip-hop DJ/producer Sam Freeman waxes lyrical about Wu-Tang Clan’s wondrous ‘W’ logo.
V1 — The Velvet Underground
When is a band logo not a band logo? When it’s a banana perhaps.
U1 — UFO
In a world exclusive, BandLogoJukeBox reveals Geoff Halpin’s original artwork for the 40-year-old UFO logo.
T1 — The The
Commercials director Theo Delaney uncovers the little-known story behind The The’s enduringly edgy band logo.
S1 — The Specials
We caught up with Horace Panter, artist and bass player with The Specials, to talk about how the band’s ska man logo came about.
R1 — The Ramones
The Ramones logo was originally an exercise in graphic subversion. These days, it’s about as rebellious as a trip to Sainsbury’s.
Sound advice
‘Logo-a-gogo’ author Rian Hughes shares his top ten dos and don’ts for designing band logos.
Crest of a wave
Bands FC is a place where the graphics of bands and football collide, with engaging, amusing results and plenty of goal-mouth incident.
Q1 — Queen
Why have a common logo when you can have a royal crest? Queen’s resplendent, extravagant band marque could only have been designed by Freddie Mercury himself.
Yes, Ministry
We know ... this isn’t strictly a band logo. But our friend Rick Banks has an excellent new book out on UK club graphics, so we’re bending the rules a bit so he can wax lyrical about one of his favourite club logos — Ministry of Sound.
P1 — Pixies
Baxter & Bailey Creative Director Matt Baxter meets Chris Bigg, the designer behind the bewitching, bewinged Pixies logo.
O1 — Oasis
Microdot’s Brian Cannon reveals how a chance encounter in a lift with Noel Gallagher led to a longstanding creative relationship and the birth of the Oasis logo.
N1 — Nirvana
Smiley face or typeface? Will the real Nirvana band logo please stand up.
Special Aphex
It may look like it landed from space, but there’s more to the Aphex Twin monogram story than meets the eye, reveals Fontsmith Type Design Director Phil Garnham.
M1 — The Monkees
The Monkees’ guitar-shaped logo perfectly evokes the band’s kooky Sixties image. It was designed by Nick LoBianco, king of lunch box art.