We all need a good logo. Dont we?

The recent articles about DJ names and then today's about logos and logotypes kinda made me have a go toevening .

I've got quite a (very) varied range of evening s that I play and have been trying for ages to figure out whether having one DJ page/identity might just confuse and put off certain people, and maybe having a 2nd ID which is new can reflect the newer things I'm working on (primarily an electro-filthy-house event and production name) - but that also encompasses some more extreme electronica (but not the main focus).

So I had a go at this toevening and I'll be honest I don't know how good/bad/dreadful it is so any thoughts would be very helpful.

Attachment 11557

this!


but somehow i already have a logo. does that mean i reached that certain level

Bullshit - go and check the DJ Mag top 100;

Bullshit - go and check the DJ Mag top 100;

Nope, a logo is pretty much the least important thing for a DJing career.

They don't. They matter in ALL aspects of entertainment and in business. While it's not the most important thing, branding does play a role. People always mention skill when talking about DJing, but no one ever mentions one of the most important parts, which is presentation. Basically, the fundamentals of why logos, branding, and how you sell yourself are the same reasons why billing on a flyer matters. It's part of the illusion. When you sell yourself as something larger than life, future fans buy it, and perpetuate that myth to their friends. Being successful as a performer is X parts talent, X parts presentation, X parts personality, and X parts of that special "it" which no one can fully explain... that "X-factor" if you will. Either way, it's a waste of peoples time if you've got no talent, and that is the biggest part that should be there, but marketing is a huge help too.

You're a producer, fancy posting up some of your stuff?

Anyone else realise how every DJ is also a producer these days, it might sound like I'm being cynical but half of the local DJs in my area are producer with no original tracks and no remixes. hmm, seems legit.

Gotta disagree with you about the need of a logo, I believe artists nowadays need to brand themself more. Writing from my phone so I'm not gonna write too long. Anyway, get a simple logo, remember "less is more". Use your logo at posters, merch if u ever make some, social media, EP's if ur a producer etc.

I would agree about 100%. Logos are amazing for companies, but as some type of performer, I would say no. Take a look at recording artists, none of them have logos, and the one's that might, didn't get become rich and famous as a result of said logos.



First, let me say Hi, as a fellow Torontonian (downtown).

Secondly, It's not just a point of view. Wanting something to "look professional" is probably one of the worst reasons to create a marketing piece and probably one of the biggest mistakes companies and/or individual entities make. All over the world hundreds of companies are creating mobile apps, because they believe they need to have one, or because it "looks professional", but nobody ever believes about why they need it or whether or not it's worth spending the time and/or money to get it. It's all about the "desire result". What is the "desired result"? Is it informational? Is it to get sales? And most importantly, is this initiative going to achieve the "desired result"?

I'm 34, and my background is in corporate marketing. I'm just saying that to illustrate some "credentials" because you never know who your advice is coming from on these community s.

If you're creating the logo yourself, you're a design guru, and it'll take you no time at all, then maybe it's not a big deal...But it looks as though you're looking to contract someone, so I'll give my advice.

Logos work EXTREMELY well with consumer based products. Why? Because it illustrates brand identity, and brand recognition. Take Starbucks and Apple for instance. Both logos don't contain words, and why not? Because they're globally recognized logos and the lack of words means that they transcend beyond any language barriers. I've been halfway across the world, and when I see that Starbucks logo down the street, it's like an omen. It'll tell me that no matter where I am, I can order a grande green tea latte. What this means to a company, is that both the Apple and Starbucks logos are resulting in customer sales. So in a consumer business where "sales" are always the desired result, their logos are going to achieve the "desired result" for them. Perhaps that's a bad example because you're not a consumer product, but what is your "desired result"? To get gigs? Is your logo going to achieve that for you? Probably not. DJ Tiesto has that "bird-logo", but is that why he's famous? Is it getting him more gigs? Also, it's not globally recognized. So if you looked at a poster and saw Tiesto's bird logo with a date and venue, how many people worldwide would know what it is? That brings me to another marketing fundamental...KISS. Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. I always refer to the "lowest common denominator". If the dumbest person alive knows what it is, you're good. Back to Tiesto...If you just had the words "DJ Tiesto" in a crappy font, along with the venue and date/time, it would deliver more results than just his logo. People would probably look at it and believe "that's a crappy poster" but I'm sure it wouldn't have any trouble putting the asses in the seats, because Tiesto isn't famous because of a logo, and he's certainly not famous for his fonts/design.

Logos are good for toothpaste, laundry detergent, canned foods, etc. When you go to the grocery store and you want some soup, it's easy to recognize the "Campbell's" logo and their signature red/white cans. Will your logo do that for you? If you're looking to DJ at clubs, people will probably hire you based on word-of-mouth, recognition, etc. however I do believe a website is essential for any business.

If you insist on designing a logo, it's important to understand the proper process. Because a logo has to align with your "brand". It's like visual diarrhea if you see a logo that contains colours or a look that clash with your site, so it's important that all your marketing efforts are designed with your brand in mind.

What is a brand? For a company it's their entire identity. It's what the company signifies, and the public persona they want to illustrate. For Apple I would guess that a portion of their brand identity is "simplicity of design". They've won various awards on their design, and ease of use, and their logo illustrates that. Clean, white (which to me implies: fresh), and most of all, simple. For some sort of performing artist, a "brand" is basically their persona. What are you doing? What do you want the public perception to be? For an act like LMFAO, I would guess that their brand is about good times, banging chicks, and partying...And their public persona fits into that. They have un-combed hair, they wear ridiculous clothes, and they conceal their identify to some degree...Plus all their songs are about partying.

At some of the companies I've worked at, they have a colour/design guide for marketing employees to make sure everything you create aligns with their brand. Obviously that's on the scale of a huge company, but the idea is that you don't want one of your efforts (eg website) to look completely disconnected from another one of your efforts (eg: logo). If you don't have a brand, it's easy to identify. You just need to start with a bunch of bullet points that summarizes your company and/or service. Who are you? What kind of music do you play? How are you going to illustrate that to the public?

For eg, you brand could be:

1. Fist-pumping electro music
2. Rocking the hard jam
3. distinguished taste
4. Banging chicks

Now it's difficult to put some of those descriptors into a logo, but you should always keep them in mind. Points like "rocking the hard jam" could be interpreted as "fun" or "party-lovin'" and there are ways to communicate that in your website/logo. Your designer should know how. If you look at the LMFAO website, they have the same pattern for the background, as the pants they wear, and to me it illustrates "fun" because only a total goofball would wear some crap like that http://www.lmfaomusic.com/#!featured. You also have to do competitive analysis and take a look at other DJ sites, because you can't design something that's totally opposite of the industry trend.

I believe it's easiest to design a website first, then put together a logo...Because you can do some competitive analysis on other DJ sites, and design yours with a similar look, then once you have that "look" down, you can ask your designer to design something that communicates your brand. Chances are if you contract someone, they'll ask you about your brand when designing a website or logo, and if they don't, I'd be weary.

Hope this helps. I was in my 30's when I learned all this stuff...If I was 15, I could have been really ahead of the curve.

Nope, a logo is pretty much the least important thing for a DJing career.

Nope, a logo is pretty much the least important thing for a DJing career.

I guess or points of view differ, i understand obviously there's more important aspects of a DJ career but considering i am already creating music and hosting/appearing at events i feel that a good logo can help my name become more of a bolder statement in the music scene here and show an element of professionalism.