Our Logo
The logo was so
mething that came into being through a logical step from what we were trying to explain about our approach to marketing.
The original image was from the cover of The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ album, the band’s third album released a few weeks prior to Christmas in 1979. The photo was the work of acclaimed artist Pennie Smith and features bass player Paul Simenon smashing up his guitar on stage at the Palladium in New York in September of the same year.
The story goes that Pennie Smith didn’t want to use the photo as she felt it was out of focus, but lead vocalist Joe Strummer and the graphic artist behind the album cover convinced her otherwise. Q Magazine voted it the greatest rock and roll photograph of all time in 2002
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In what some might consider irony, theft, plagiarism or just a simple copy, the graphic designer actually paid homage to another album with the design – Elvis’s self-titled debut from March 1956.
Our logo was an interpretation from the original image and epitomises the punk rock energy, over-indulgence and loss of control. It also symbolises for Straight Edge that when you can’t find any other answers, do something different. Or smash something up.