Heavy Metal Logos
Published on May 7, 2018 in Logo Design
I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m a fan of heavy metal music – from 80’s hair bands to the grim, frostbitten sounds of Norwegian black metal and everything in between. As an artist and graphic designer I’m fascinated by the logos that represent these bands. Originally, I had planned to write a post about band logo design and how even asymmetrical words can become symmetrical logos (it’s a popular look in metal). In doing research for this post, I stumbled upon this article on Kerrang. The writer does a good job of going into the history of band logos and features quotes from artists and heavy metal authors. I also learned of two more books to add to my wish list.
Logos From Hell (Doomentia Press)
Logos from Hell offers a glimpse into the most extreme and underground movement of logo identity branding in the history of graphic design. This 600-page tome is a visual onslaught of logo illustrations—for the heaviest metal bands on the planet—conjured by over thirty of the most talented and sought-after artists in the industry, including Christophe Szpajdel, Chris Moyen, Daniel Corcuera, Putrid, Kam Lee, Steve Crow, Kris Verwimp, Alan Corpse, Christopher Horst, Alemsahim, Diego Hellbastard, Antichrist Kramer, Toshihiro Egawa, Thomas Westphal, Raoul Mazzero, and many more! Compiled by underground death metal illustrator—Mark Riddick, with foreward by Michel “Away” Langevin—of Voivod fame—Logos from Hell seeks to inspire, bewilder, and challenge the reader to embrace sound design principles guised by the monstrous. Unleashed by one of the rising leaders in extreme metal music audio/visual publishing, Doomentia Records and Press, Logos from Hell is the perfect addition to your library whether you’re a metal music fan or a visual expert.
Lord of the Logos: Designing the Metal Underground (Gestalten)
This book is a collection of work by Christophe Szpajdel, an artist whose fans in the underground black metal community worship him as the Lord of the Logos. It includes hundreds of powerful logos, each of which captures the force of this musical genre anew. Through his surprising use of aesthetic influences such as art deco and nature, Szpajdel has brought a new dynamic into the gothic visuality of heavy metal. This publication, which is done in the style of a black prayerbook, shows not only how he has succeeded in leaving his own visual mark on this music, but how he has also expanded the canon of forms it uses.
Both of these books like they have high quality printing and would make a great additions to any heavy metal fan’s personal library (including mine).