By: Philip Newman

In this day and age, artists and bands need all the promotion they can get. There’s stiff competition, and you have to consider every little possible thing that can put you ahead of the other people in your field.

Having a [memorable] logo is one of these ways.

Imagine looking at a promotional show flier. There’s 5 bands listed. One of those bands has a logo instead of just a simple name, maybe with their name printed under it, in their specific band font.

Going to seem like that bands more worth seeing than the other bands printed in bland typeface, isn’t it?

Give people a reason to look into y

For a number of years, Prince identified himself by his logo, only pronounced as “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince”, this an extreme, but still an example of using a logo, and having it represent the artist.

One thing to remember before creating your logo, is that it should have some staying power. Nothing is more confusing than when a company, or in this case, band, changes its logo.

This doesn’t mean it can’t be changed in the future, its been done before, but any changes should be minor, and for the sake of modernizing.

Once you have a basic idea of what you want to create, remember these 5 things:

The logo must:

1. 1.) Be Identifiable
2. 2.) Be Simple
3. 3.) Be Memorable
4. 4.) Be Versatile
5. 5.) Represent the band, and its music

To elaborate and simplify: Make it easy to remember, while representing you and your music, and appropriate for all applications.

Now when I say appropriate, that is entirely relative. A metal band may want to use gore, and satanic symbols, and that is appropriate relative to the application. However, a kids band might not get the right looks using this type of imagery.

This is entirely about the right people taking your logo seriously.

The logo is going to be the face of the band, and you want it to represent that properly.

Our own Andrea Gauster uses this logo:

For those who haven’t heard her music, click here. Her music is easy going, free feeling, and lovely. That’s why she chose the dove as her logo. It represents these things, among other similar ideas.

By looking at her logo, you have an idea of what kind of music it is. Along with this, seeing this logo will remind you of her. At this point, the imagery becomes extremely effective.

A person looking at concert fliers, or going through stacks upon stacks of music will be drawn to that, especially if their musical tastes are similar to the type of music Andrea creates.

This is the cover of Andrea’s latest album: Reverie:

Notice that the dove has found its way into the cover. (Above the i in Reverie, and also around her neck.)

This is an example of how the logo should be used in anything involved with the band. You can also find this logo all over her MySpace, and other promotional websites.

Some examples of logo use:

• E-mail signatures
• Band Merch
• CD Covers
• Promotional Pictures
• On all gear (also to identify at a packed gig)
• Stickers
• Promo Posters
• Gig Fliers

The point is to get that logo out, and get it known.

A logo makes promotion easier, and also helps to identify your band as more professional.

Any band can have a name, a logo separates you from that pack, and puts you one step ahead.

For extra reading on logos check these out:

Musician’s Logos: Why We’re Attracted To Them
Why Your Logo Is So Important?

And for tips on designing that logo:
How To Design A Logo

Technorati Tags: advice, Andrea Gauster, logo, promotion

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 9:33 am and is filed under Music Promotion, Wisdom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.