What your logo says about your brand

One of the most important factors to consider when designing your logo, is how such an image reflects on your brand. What does it say about you? And how can the style of a logo create an instant impression of your music, and what fans can expect to hear from your productions? Modern DJs have insignias and DJ logo designs that are designed to not only be memorable but also convey their personality and their musical style. With so much emphasis on building a personal DJ brand, DJs now put a lot of thought, time and effort into creating a logo that is going to be your public face – possibly across the globe. Because of this, DJ logos are often great looking, inspiring and super creative. Before finalizing your logo, it’s best to go through an array of ideas before considering your final crafted design.

What message are you trying to convey?

This is perhaps the most important question you need to answer because it will help drive all of your other decisions. Playful? Geeky? Forward-thinking? Traditional? You have to know what you want to say before you can say it.

Who are you trying to reach?

This can start out as a simple demographic, and is usually based around your genre of music. Certain genres (e.g. trap) have a much higher audience in the States than anywhere else, whilst house is incredibly popular in the UK, and techno is a big part of the German electronic scene. These thoughts may help guide the font style, color choice etc.

What do the graphics represent?

It’s hard to imagine all of the color possibilities until you really begin to stare at a 1,000 different shades of a single color. Some colors are more popular in particular regions, some colors are faddish, some colors are difficult to replicate in different mediums, and some colors may already be spoken for, or associated with certain artists (e.g. white for Marshmello etc). Graphics and images pose their own concerns. In general, simple is often better. If, for example, you have a detailed graphic it might express a high level of sophistication, but it could also be difficult to read from a distance.

In what context will it be seen?

Will most people come in contact with your brand physically? On the internet? Giant billboards? What looks good while flipping through an idea book could look terrible once it’s wrapped around a package. Literally look at your logo at the same angle your fans will see it. In most occasions, a logo will be seen in a multitude of ways, so take merchandise opportunities into consideration too.

How colors impact emotions

Green may be your favorite color but that doesn’t mean it needs to be on your logo. Since colors can elicit an emotional response from your target audience, as well as convey your brand’s message, it’s very important that your color selection goes deeper than personal preference. Take a look at what some of the more commonly used colors can signify:

• Blue: Trust, dependability, and strength.
• Red: Action and energy; can elicit a passionate response, but also aggression.
• Yellow: Optimism, positivity, motivation, warmth.
• Green: Nature and serenity. Can imply good health. Lighter greens = more peaceful. Deeper greens signify wealth or prestige.
• Purple: Creativity, mysterious, sophisticated.
• Orange: Energy, friendliness, confidence.
• Pink: Femininity, excitement, romance, and youthfulness. Light pink has sentimental tones, hot pink has high energy.
• Brown: Dependability, simplicity. Associated with nature, strength.

It’s advised to stick to no more than three colors in your logo and to always look at it in one, two, and three-color options. If you’re wondering how you might stack up to the world’s top brands when it comes to logo type and color usage, check out these stats below:

• 33% use blue
• 29% use red
• 28% use black or grayscale
• 13% use yellow or gold
• 95% use only one or two colors
• 41% use text only
• 9% don’t feature the company name at all
• 5% use more than two colors

So why is all this so important?

Logo design is an integral part of DJ branding because it helps create an identity or recognition for you by increasing brand visibility. A logo can be designed using a symbol, a font, or a visual representation associated with your DJ name. It also empowers your brand to communicate using both visual and auditory signs which make your name, your design and your music unforgettable. A good logo design is important since it symbolizes not only how fans perceive your brand, but also how they feel about it. Your logo design should send positive vibes about your brand, your product, and your musical philosophy. Your logo should also look great and maintain its proportions whether you use it in print media or on your website, social media feeds or whether you use it on a black or a colorful background.

The Garrix effect

After creating your logo, you might feel that the brand no longer represents you accurately, or that it doesn’t quite suit your sound anymore the more your musical evolution continues. The key to this is a successful rebrand, in the same way Martin Garrix changed his harsh font, which symbolized his earlier big-room sound, to a more softer edged, and commercially friendly logo when beginning to make more of a melodic sound in 2015. Similarly, when Swedish House Mafia dissolved in 2013 (only to reform again in 2018), Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso favored a new logo which represented unity post-SHM, with the duo throwing their arms up together to form the logo, in their live sets.