Logos began to get a little more experimental in the 1970s, perhaps reflecting the way in which rock was diversifying into various subgenres.īands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC played blues-influenced hard rock, and were big influences on heavy metal. (Image credit: Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin/Sex Pistols/AC/DC/Pink Floyd) But it also had the colours of the Union Flag creating a bullseye in the background, and this image is so iconic it's become the logo of the mod subculture as a whole. It had the band's name, with the two h's being joined together to symbolise unity and the arrow on the 'o' representing masculinity. The Who's logo has the best of both worlds.
The bright red lips and tongue were inspired by the Hindu goddess Kali, but they also had sexual connotations, which would have been considered rebellious over five decades ago. Consider The Rolling Stones' logo, which art student Jon Pasche designed in 1970. However, towards the end of the decade, some logos started to diversity. The logo was drawn on the spot by the owner of Ludwig drums, who supplied the kit, and the larger 'B' and 'T' were deliberate, to emphasise the word 'Beat'.
For a while, it mostly just appeared on Ringo Starr's drum kit. Interestingly, however, The Beatles' iconic logo with the drop-T didn't feature on any album covers while the band were active, and it only became trademarked by Apple Records in 1994.
