How to Design Cool Music Logos for Bands and Entertainment Companies

Why Bands And Entertainment Brands Need Great Logo Designs

Asking whether a music band or a music video production company needs a logo is similar to asking whether they really need to have a band name. This is because logo design fills a similar need.

Logos serve as the main identifiers for any brand or company. True, some companies simply use their names as their main logo, but even then, a simple wordmark logo design still deserves careful consideration when it comes to choosing the font and color palette.

And bands in particular often have rock band logos or any music band logos that do double-duty, appearing as the cover for their first album release.

This logo for the Rolling Stones is a classic example.

Music production companies, meanwhile, won’t be so clearly identified on the front of the CD or record, but their music band logo will almost certainly make an appearance on the back of the case or in the booklet or lining. And associated companies may also make an appearance, such as for communication and media logos or distributors in charge of releasing the product on the internet and in stores. Not to mention a band logo you can include as a custom embroidery pattern in t-shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise to sell.

But what about individuals, like singers or musicians, who don’t work with a band? Do they need a customized logo for their band?

Related: DJ Logos, Black Metal Logos, Music Note Logos, Jazz Logos

Do Musicians And Singers Need Logos?

Just as logos serve as an identifier for a band or entertainment company, the same can apply for individual musicians and singers.

Typically, it’s less common for musicians and singers to have a graphic-based logo. A wordmark logo, usually one that simply uses their name and a cool font, is more often to be found, such as this logo for Celine Dion.

Regardless of the final design decision, creating a logo for a musician or singer can be just as important as creating one for a band, recording studio, or other related entertainment company.

Related: Rapper Logos, Heavy Metal Logos, Hip Hop Logos, Keyboard Logos

Do You Need To Be A Professional To Design A Music Entertainment Logo?

It takes a professional graphic designer to create music that is worth listening to. But does it take a professional graphic artist to design a band or music recording logo?

In a nutshell, the answer is no.

You may be a freelancer designing a music logo because you’ve been hired by a music company or the musician themselves. Or you may actually be a musician or perform with a band, and want to design a perfect logo yourself without hiring a professional.

Either way, it’s easy to create cool music logos that fill the need, and you’re about to learn how in six simple steps.

Related: Film Logos, Karaoke Logos, Piano Logos, Dance Logos

How to Design Musician Logo Designs Like a Pro In Six Steps

The main requirement for designing a great music artist logo is simply creativity. Music is an art, and like other artistic endeavors, this should be reflected in the logo. Remember, a logo is the primary identifier for any brand, band, company, or individual. You want to design a musician logo that accurately portrays the artist behind it.

Step one

Think creatively from the very beginning. Whether you’re designing for yourself or for someone else, take time to research the personality behind the music or musician. Compile keywords for inspiration, such as personality traits, objects, places, colors, and other things that work with the aesthetic of the band. Consider what makes the band or musician different from others, what makes it unique. As you start your design process, go back to this creative brief and analyze how well the design fits in with the overall look behind the band or company.

Step two

Brainstorm your design possibilities. Many professional designers like to use pen and paper for this step, as it gives them freedom to get several different ideas down in a short period of time. Working quickly, sketch out some basic ideas for the logo. You don’t need to create detailed drawings; you don’t even really need any drawing skill! Most logos are more effective because they are simple in nature, and you can start from the very beginning by only including relevant details. Try to fill a page with different design possibilities, and feel free to experiment.

Step three

Choose individual elements, including colors, fonts, and graphics. As you put your potential designs together, it's time to make a list of the actual design elements that you want to incorporate. For most musician logo designs or band logos, this includes choosing a font, a focus graphic, and the color palette. You can also consider the shape, spacing, and type of logo that best fits the company. Typically, as far as logo types, most famous music artist logos and famous singer logos use a wordmark, with just the name of the musician or singer; bands and record labels are more likely to use a combination mark for a logo, with a graphic and typography. Try out different combinations to see what will work the best for your logo design.

Step four

Make sure that the logo stands out. A big part of logo design is researching the competition beforehand to ensure that you don’t end up with a copycat logo design. This is less of a concern with musician logos, as there are fewer common trends and more room for creativity. However, as you narrow down your design choices to a few options, it’s still a good idea to do a search for other band logos or entertainment company logos, to make sure that you don’t inadvertently create a lookalike logo. This could even extend to the typeface that you choose, since choice of font is a significant factor in what makes many recording artist logos unique.

Step five

Transfer your design to a digital format. Now it’s time to actually create the finished product. There are a few ways that you can do this, and the way you choose depends on your skill level and how comfortable you are with various software.

• You can complete the logo by hand, scan it into a graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator, and render it into a vector image.
• You can scan the logo and use it as a guideline to create a vector image from scratch in a design software.
• Using your logo design as a framework, you can go to a site like LogoDesign.net and utilize the searchable design software to find and personalize a design.
• You can work with a custom logo designer or logo design company to turn your logo design into a final iteration.

Step six

Get feedback from unbiased observers. Before you put your logo to work for your band, company, client, or yourself, it’s always advised to seek out feedback and suggestions from others. It’s best not to rely on close friends and family, especially if you’re creating a design for yourself; if you are the artist who needs a logo, consider uploading a few possible designs on your social media account, such as Instagram, and inviting your audience to vote on their favorite. If you’re working for a client, of course, this is the time to show them the design you’ve completed, take notes, and make any revisions as necessary.

As you go through the design process, you’ll need to make some big decisions on the individual elements, as noted in step three. Here are some tips to help you select colors, fonts, and graphics for music logos.

5 Tips to Select the Best Color Palettes for Your Music Artist Logo

Picking out a color palette is a fun challenge. But it can seem overwhelming — after all, there are so many to choose from! And what if you pick something that you end up not liking, later on down the line?

Here are five tips to nail your color palette choice from the get-go.

• Consider the mood of the music. Whether it’s your own music or someone else’s, this plays a big part in the color choice for the logo. Remember, logos are representatives of the name behind them. Is the music dark and edgy? Think about dark colors, such as black and white, with pops of striking color, such as red or orange. Is the logo for a pop musician? A lighter, warm-toned palette may be a good choice.
• Take a look at the psychology of color. This area of research informs a lot of what is done in marketing and branding, but there are some extra considerations to think about when it comes to how it applies to music genres, as this report from UC Berkeley points out.
• Look at trends for your genre. These will likely be influenced by the first two factors that were mentioned, but it’s worthwhile to look at similar artists and see what they’ve chosen for their branded visuals.
• Use tools like Coolors.co and Adobe Color Wheel to help you find a main color that you like and suggest supplementary colors to go along with it to create a full palette.
• Choose a color that you — or your client — really likes. This isn’t always a consideration in logo design for other industries, but a band or singer logo reflects the individual’s personality. Plus, the way a logo is designed will influence other branded visuals, which means that the singer or band will likely have to work within that color palette extensively. So choosing a color that they like, and avoiding colors that they really dislike, is a smart move.

Top 10 Fonts for Music Entertainment Logo Designs

Most music logos, band logos, entertainment company logos, and even creative event planner logos use either a combination mark or a wordmark. Either way, a font is involved.

So what are the best fonts for music logo designs?

There are thousands upon thousands of logos to choose from, so it does come down to personal taste and how well it meshes with the band or company’s personality. But here are a few key characteristics to look for:

• Creativity. You want to choose a font that isn’t just run of the mill.
• Uniqueness. Avoid fonts that have been used by other bands or companies.
• Readability. Even as you find a font that is creative and unique, remember that you still want your viewers to read and comprehend the message.

Many singers use their signatures for their logo mark, which is an even more unique approach to font choice.

Remember that your font choice should show up well with your color palette.

Best Graphics For Band Logos

When it comes to graphics, creativity strikes again and logo designers are spoiled for choice.

It’s always advisable to go back again to the personality behind the logo. Are there any objects, animals, or concepts that are embedded in the meaning of the musician or the music itself? Are there any lyrics that run through as a concept which can be channeled into a graphic design?

One famous example that comes to mind is Pink Floyd’s pink pig, which popped up numerous times throughout the band’s run and was viewed as both a logo and a mascot, with multiple references in song lyrics.

Creativity and uniqueness also have a play here. But you can look at suggestions from others to get some ideas for what might work best for the logo.

Here are some good potential graphic ideas for bands, music production companies, record labels, and creative event planner logos:

• Musical instruments, such as a keyboard, piano, drum logos
• Record studio tools, such as headphones and speakers logos
• Play icon logos
• Silhouettes, like dancers, nightclub logos, or the band itself
• Location-based graphics, with nods to the places where the band first played, such as a nightclub or bar logos

The type of music will really help you decide on the style and source of the graphic. For example, a rock band wouldn’t use the same type of graphic as a jazz combo; and a rap artist wouldn’t use the same style of logo as a classical pianist.

But there could be some overlap, too — for example, professional DJs might release curated rap albums that have very similar artwork to other artists.

One thing that is important to remember when it comes to choosing a graphic for a musician logo design is that you don’t need to stick with “traditional” music graphics.

For instance, a music note or guitar logo graphic may seem to make sense for musician logos. But remember that creativity is the key point for these types of logos, and something that straightforward may actually distract from the message of the logo, simply because it is so obvious.

This isn’t true for all industries, but it is something to remember for musician logo design. Avoiding “traditional” music-related graphics will help your design to stand out from the rest and really express the right message.

What Do Famous Music Band Logos Have in Common?

Because creativity, out of the box thinking, and personal choice are significant factors in designing logos for musicians and bands, it’s difficult to pinpoint specifics that they have in common.

And that in itself becomes a common factor!

The most important thing for designing a musician logo that really resonates with both the musician and the audience is to look at the personal connection.

What makes the band special and unique should be channeled into the logo design, too.

Creative Music Logo Ideas

If you’ve never spent much time looking at famous music logos, it’s an interesting area to research. It can help you to make design decisions for your own logo project, too.

It can also be worthwhile to look at potential designs on music logo maker sites like Logodesign.net, to help with creative suggestions like these few listed here.

Launching A Music Logo And A Music Career

Ultimately, the main things to look for in designing a logo for a musician, band, record company, or associated company are:

• Creativity
• Uniqueness
• Authentic to the individual

With those three things, and the design tips included here, you can surely put together a cool music logo that will make the audience demand an encore.