Project: Monkey Paw Solution Logo Redesign
Type of project:
A redesign of a logo for a Southern California-based punk rock band.
“As a supporter of the band myself, I took on the task of creating a new [logo] that would ultimately lead to better marketing for them.”
Project Overview:
Monkey Paw Solution is a punk rock band from Long Beach, California. They had a logo already, but there had been dissatisfaction with its design from members of the band since it was first adopted. As a supporter of the band myself, I took on the task of creating a new one that would ultimately lead to better marketing for them.
Role:
I was the visual designer who would create the redesigned logo. I was responsible for communicating with the client—that is, the band’s members—directly.
Deliverables:
A set of images—full logo, image only, and text only—created with Adobe Illustrator were the project’s deliverables.
These images were exported as PNG files and handed off to the band once completed for use within web and print media, as well as for potential merchandise.
Goals:
The main goal was to create a logo that was instantly recognizable, easy to look at, and clean. It needed to be able to stand out amongst other band logos on a flyer. It also needed to look good in digital media, print media, and on merchandise (such as t-shirts, stickers, etc.), as well as on a bass drumhead for when the band plays shows.
Problem:
The original logo was commissioned by a previous band member who no longer is associated with Monkey Paw Solution. It is unknown exactly what this previous member specified in the instructions to the artist; however, the general consensus amongst the current members and fans is that it was too dark, too cluttered, and it wasn’t as memorable as it could be. Therefore, the main problem I intended to solve was creating a logo that was clean, simpler, and really popped.
Design Process
Original design:
Before I began designing a new logo, I reviewed their original one, which was created by someone a previous band member found on Fiverr (the name of the artist was not provided to me by the band). I wanted to figure out what worked well, as well as what didn’t.
Based on feedback from members of the band, as well as my own assessment as a designer, it was clear that this was too dark and busy to work effectively as a logo. When it appears on show advertisement flyers, it’s very difficult to read, especially when the image is small. Therefore, I sought to create something that was simpler, cleaner, and would pop on flyers and merchandise.
“I sought to create something that was simpler, cleaner, and would pop on flyers and merchandise.”
Colors:
When choosing the colors for the redesign, I looked at the original design again for inspiration. I chose to keep red for the text, as it would pop nicely against the plain white background I was intending to use. Also, after looking at logos for established punk bands, I noticed that red was a commonly used color; for example, it is found in the logos for such legendary acts as Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, and Social Distortion.
Since I knew I was going to incorporate a monkey paw, I chose a shade of grayish-brown that would emulate the color of an actual monkey paw pad. Black would serve as the outline of the paw.
“I noticed that red was a commonly used color [in punk band logos].”
Typography:
For the band name within the logo, I wanted to use a font that emulated the spirit of punk rock: messy, DIY, and raw. I wanted something that would instantly grab someone’s attention, much like punk as a music genre does.
After perusing display fonts on Google Fonts, I chose Freckle Face, as I felt it best captured not just a punk essence, but the essence of the band itself. I chose to tilt the text to add a feeling of movement.
“I wanted something that would instantly grab someone’s attention, much like punk as a music genre does.”
Imagery:
Since the words “monkey paw” are in the name of the band itself, it made the most sense to me, from a branding standpoint, to include a monkey paw in the logo.
However, I wanted something that was simpler than what was in the original logo, so I looked for vector images of monkey paws via Google. I found a royalty-free one via VectorStock and used that as the basis of my outline.
Final Design
Full logo
Image only
Text only
Challenges:
The big challenge was creating something that would not just be memorable and recognizable, but would also reflect the spirit of the band and what listeners could expect when listening to the music of Monkey Paw Solution. I was familiar with their music, having attended several of their shows before I moved to the Seattle area, and wanted to make sure that whatever I designed, it stayed true to their sound and ethos.
It needed to be something that the members of the band would want to use for their branding, as well, and getting everyone to agree wasn’t easy. Upon completion of the logo, one band member felt the paw illustration wasn’t gritty enough for his liking, for example. I offered to change the illustration to make it grittier, but was told by the other members to leave it as is since he was the only one who felt that way. Therefore, I left the final design alone, per the rest of the band’s request.
“I...wanted to make sure that whatever I designed, it stayed true to their sound and ethos.”
Conclusion:
My redesign solves the problems the original design had. It is cleaner, brighter, and recognizable, and much easier to read. Upon completion of the project, the band members remarked positively to their new logo, which tells me that it was a successful redesign, indeed.
What the client says about the finished product:
“Very cool...definitely something to keep and hold onto. Would be very cool to make flyers with too.”
“I like it. It’ll look good on a T-shirt!”
“I like the new logo. I think Krystie’s work looks great. Definitely better than what we had. It’ll really pop on merch.”