The Five Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band Logos Ever

A fantastic rock 'n roll band logo accomplishes several things. First and foremost a rock 'n roll band logo should be easily identifiable. The best rock 'n roll band logos can be recognized quickly and readily even at a distance. While it is possible to have an impressive logo without success as a band, it is impossible to have major worldwide success as a band without an impressive logo. Here is a look at five of the greatest rock 'n roll band logos ever:

Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band Logos Ever - Kiss

There are a few rock 'n roll band logos more recognizable than the large letters of Kiss. No matter where you go in the world, the Kiss band logo is instantly considered to be iconic. Not only is it instantly recognizable as a symbol of the band, it is also considered to be a symbol for rock 'n roll. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Chriss and Ace Frehley have been rocking and rolling for nearly 5 decades. That type of longevity has certainly not hurt their brand recognition.

Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band Logos Ever - Van Halen

During the mid-80s, you could not go anywhere in the United States without seeing a Van Halen T-shirt. The V-shaped letters made the perfect logo and adding the wings on either side gave it the perfect amount of flair. Perhaps no other band is more specific to that time, and their fantastic rock 'n roll band logo certainly played a part in that huge success. The members have come and gone over the years, but the David Lee Roth led Van Halen of the 80s will always be connected to that great logo and their rocking, no holds barred concerts.

Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band Logos Ever - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are much like Kiss in that longevity has played a huge role in their brand recognition. What is interesting about the Stones is that the logo was popular with everyone and not just their legions of fans. The mouth and tongue logo did not even have to show the name of the band to still be synonymous with the Rolling Stones. Most people alive on the planet that lived through the 60s and 70s have owned at least one Rolling Stones T-shirt - even if they did not know it was a Rolling Stones T-shirt. Few bands have had that type of impact on rock 'n roll pop culture and music at large.

Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band Logos Ever - AC/DC

AC/DC was popular long before the logo ever took off as their signature logo. In 1977, AC/DC came out with the current logo on their album "Let There Be Rock" and it took off from there. AC/DC was already pretty popular at that time. Like Van Halen, they started putting out posters, t-shirts and various other items with the logo once it took hold. That brand recognition helped them to climb to unheard of popularity that continues until this day.

Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band Logos Ever - Guns 'N' Roses

Guns 'N' Roses has one of the most colorful and complicated rock 'n roll band logos on the list, but it is still perfectly identifiable and effective. Like most popular rock bands, Guns 'N' Roses burst on the scene and went viral with concert t-shirts and collectibles. While they did not have quite the longevity of some of the bands on this list, they were still considered to be one of the greatest bands of all time. To do so in such short order took a very good marketing team and logo - something Guns 'N' Roses had in spades.

While certainly there are tons of other great rock 'n roll band logos out there, these are the five that defined marketing excellence in my opinion.

Honorable Mention:

Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Aerosmith
ABBA
Nine Inch Nails
The Beatles
The Ramones
Iron Maiden
Molly Hatchet