Media Studies Coursework ResearchBrief 3 – Music
As I have chosen brief 3, I will
be researching record labels and artists, starting with their logos.
The first record label logo I
researched was that of stone’s throw records. While it may not be the most well
renowned label in the world, it has strong roots in underground hip hop suggested
by the strong, brazen font. As well as this the plain colours show that they
The label has also been known to push boundaries in all genres in music by
thinking outside of the box, shown by the letters slightly extending out of the
vinyl disc. The logo is a relatively simple one but is iconic as one of the
leading underground record labels.
The logo for hip-hop group
“Wu-Tang Clan” is one of the most widely recognized of all time, perfectly
capturing the group’s innovative and charismatic approach to music. The logo
consists of two colours, black and yellow. Not only does this symbolize danger
but also the group often refer to themselves as “Killa Bee’s”, a perfectly
fitting name with the black and yellow logo. The word “Wu-Tang” is fitted in
between the group’s synonymous logo. The logo itself is an almost graffiti
styled W with a gap in the middle to fit the group’s name. It could also be
argued that the w is almost blade shaped. As the crew has a big interest in
Kung Fu movies this may represent that. It could also connote the groups razor
sharp lyrics, filled with wit and substance. The simplicity has allowed the
group to spread it everywhere through clothing, posters and other merchandise.
It could be argued that this is the greatest hip-hop logo of all time with the
Wu-Tang clan still using it today.
The logo for the band Nirvana is
globally known, even after they disbanded in 1994 due to Kurt Cobain’s suicide.
The yellow with the black background is very attention grabbing and loud, just
like the music they made. As well as that the deformed smiley face could be
seen as offensive, showing the bands attitude to society and the expectations
they are meant to conform to. As well as that the sharp lettering could depict
the edge their lyrics possess. These features combined have created one of the
most recognisable logos of all time, along with increasing the longevity of the
band to such an extent that even people born after they were disbanded.
The logo for the rap group Odd
Future is one of the most successful music logo’s in recent memory, being seen
on t-shirts, socks, hoodies and skateboards all over the world. The simple, fun
logo reflects the group’s lackadaisical approach to music. As well as this, the
OF clearly symbolises Odd Future, helping the group gain exposure and promotion
when it was plastered on t shirts and sold globally. As it is a simple logo it
looked stylish when enlarged on clothing, hence why it sold so well. The logo
was also created by the “leader” of the group Tyler the Creator, possibly
adding to the authenticity and creating more interest for the audience.
Although The Red Hot Chili Peppers
may have been founded in the mid-'80s, but they still have one of the strongest
cult followings of today's generation. Due to this the logo has become one of
the most recognisable logos in rock music today. Even with bands members
changing a number of times the logo has remained the same throughout the
decades. The band’s name circles the logo, which is a red asterisk. As
prevalent with most modern music logos, the simplicity adds to its beauty
making it even easier to recognise.
The XL
Recordings logo represents the English record label with artists such as Adele,
The XX and King Krule signed to them. The bold colours symbolize their approach
to the music industry, as they are constantly evolving and putting out
innovating music. The logo is simple and easily recognizable, with the “XL”
being big (like the record label). As well as this, the contrasting colours
represent the contrasting genres the label takes on, embracing all types of
music.
The
Interscope Records logo represents the American record label with artists such
as Eminem, Lady Gaga and Dr. Dre signed to them. The logo is black and white,
so it stands out on any background and can be easily recognized on album
covers, websites etc. Also, the writing is almost scrawled onto the logo, with
“Interscope” being vertical and “Records” being horizontal. This implies that
the label promotes creativity and allows artistic freedom. The “I” with the
swirl gives the same impression, but is also big enough to be easily
noticeable.
The
logo for the Soulection record label shows the futuristic, innovative music
that they promote and release. The subtle S in the eye represents the way they
see the world and how music adds to the way they view things. The simple
colours used are easily visible on album covers and websites, helping promote
the label and its artists. As soulection usually release futuristic dance and
hip hop, the sleek design of the logo could have been chosen to instantly
attract possible listeners. As well as that they print stickers and limited amounts
of clothing to gain hype for the label, while also promoting themselves more
and more.
From
my research I have gathered that the majority of the logo’s for artists/record
labels are very simple, possibly so they are easy to recognise and easy to remember.
Also, there is usually a very minimal amount of colour used to again add to the
simplicity of the logo and make it easy to remember. I also noticed that the
logo says something about the artist, for example Odd Future’s logo portrays
their creativity and the fun they have while Nirvana’s logo hints at their
twisted lyrics. I believe all of these elements are key for creating a
successful logo that the audience will immediately connect with as well as
being easy to recognise.
This
is the first logo I designed for my artist “unsprd.”, short for unspired. The
name itself has a youthful sound to it due to the rebellion against grammar it
possesses by using a made up word and then misspelling it. As well as this, the
artist himself resists the conventional approach to the music industry by
creating original, futuristic music while blending it with dynamic music
videos. The music takes a lot of inspiration from the 90’s and I believe the
logo represents that. The underwhelming 3D effect on the box along with the
very dated effect on the text could be recognised as being 90’s influenced. The
black on red connotes the distaste the artist has for the conventions that
other artists follow when it comes to the music industry. Also the simplicity
of the logo may help it become more widespread, just like the Wu-Tang Clan’s
did.
The
second logo I created was a parody of the old windows desktops, again showing
the influence of the 90’s on the artist’s music. The logo’s font is overly
pixelated, this is a hyperbole for the retro music being created. The logo
itself has a bland green background, this makes the writing stand out more. It
could be seen as mocking consumerism, as it shows that modern music is just
re-packaging of something that has already been done. Even though it shows the
90’s influence, I do not believe this logo is simple enough in comparison to
the more successful ones, so I decided to create a different one.
The
next logo I decided to create is a very simple but in my opinion effective one.
All it consists of is the word “unsprd.”, three times layered on top of each
other. This creates a shadow effect and makes each letter stand out more. The top
layer (the red one) is made to look strong due to the support of the other two
layers. I believe the red shows the artists passion for music. The font is
almost cartoon like, possibly connoting the artists love for cartoons that he
grew up watching. However I think the logo is too simple and looks too childish
to portray a serious artist.
This is
the final logo I designed and the one I will be using for my artist. The font
is again comic strip like but is a youthful, rather than childish. I used the
same layering effect that I did in the previous logo and used the same box as
in the first logo. The top layer being blue contrasts the red greatly and may
represent the mixture of hard work and fun he puts into his music. This along
with the opposite shadow effects on both the text and the box may disorientate the
audience as it does not make sense. This represents the artist’s creative
vision that is out of the ordinary and how he is taking his music in a
different direction to others. I am using this logo because I believe it is
easily recognisable and stands out enough to be noticed due to its strong
colours and bold font.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-48u_uWMHY
This is the music video for
Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” released in 2015 with the album “To Pimp a
Butterfly”. The video starts with shots of Compton (the area in which Kendrick
grew up) with a piece of spoken word taken from his album. It then cuts to
scene’s depicting violence and police brutality while clips of his song
“cartoon’s and cereal” fade in and out, ending with a gunshot fired by a
policeman. We then hear and unreleased verse from Kendrick while he sits in a
car with the members of his group “TDE” while being carried by policemen.
Accompanied by the sound of a car crashing the verse ends and Kendrick Lamar’s
“Alright starts”, beginning with a a car spinning around a police car. Cut’s of
the city and Kendrick inside the car flash while the song builds. Lot’s of
slow-motion is used and the colour has been drained out to give a black and
white effect. This may be in relation to his politically charged album and
single, fuelled by the oppression and brutality pinned against black Americans
by police officers.
Throughout the video we see
Kendrick flying through his city. This may be a metaphor for his rise to fame
in music and how he been able to overcome any obstacle, not letting anybody or
anything hold him down. However, it could also have deeper undertones, possibly
representing the entire population of African-Americans, and how although they
have been held down by racism and oppression they have still managed to become
successful and remain positive. The video ends with Kendrick being shot by a
white police officer while standing on a lamppost above the police officer.
This possibly has undertones of the recent shootings of many black Americans by
white police officers. When Kendrick hits the ground he is pictured smiling as
he knows that nothing can hold his race down for any longer. I believe the
video for the song is just as political as the song itself and is a true
representation of what Kendrick wanted to achieve with “To Pimp a Butterfly”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRzlbh4or3c
The video for King Krule’s “Easy
Easy” was released in 2013 and the song was taken from his album “6 Feet
Beneath the Moon”. Starting with cuts from a VHS camera to a more high quality
one (a theme prevalent throughout the video) we immediately see the environment
in which Krule was raised, as also show by his deep, strong, south London
accent. The cuts are short to possibly represent the fast paced life of a
British teenager. The entire song as well as the video are both indubitably
British, from referring to the police as the “Bobby” and quoting Winston
Churchill to JD bags and the bleak concrete jungle of London. This helps
develop the artist’s backstory as we see where he spends the majority of his
time. As well as this the young, British audience that Krule is trying to reach
can identify to the video as it depicts a typically British city. This may add
to the appeal of the video as the audience will be able to relate to the video.
