LOGO HISTORY
Byron guides you through the history of theBal-Sagoth logo
1. THE CLASSIC ORIGINAL LOGO (93-94)
This was the very first Bal-Sagoth logo, which I designed in 1992, and this is the logo which appeared on all the band flyers and Letterheads during '93 and most of '94. This slimy, spiky prototype logo remains the true origin of all subsequent versions, up to and including our current "3D" rusted bronze variant. It all started here!
2. THE "CLEANER" ORIGINAL LOGO ('94)
When we signed our recording contract with cacophonous, they asked if I would redesign and simplify the logo in order to make it more suitable for printing on album covers, flyers, etc. Thus, I retained the structure of the original, but removed much of the slime and scaly texture, making the lines bolder and cleaner. That 'cleaned up' version is the one depicted here...
3. THE "BUBBLE GUM" LOGO ('94)
At the same time as I "cleaned up" the logo myself, I also commissioned Artist Simon Lee of Judas Cradle Artworks to produce a simplified version based on the original. Simon would go on to paint the cover for our third album, 'Battle Magic', and it is his variant of the logo, dubbed "the bubble gum" version, which is seen here. I rejected this version, as I felt it lacked a certain dynamism, and anyway, I had already begun work on a quite different version of the logo...
4. THE "BAT-WING" IMPOSTOR LOGO ('94)
This version was never commissioned or approved by Bal-Sagoth. It was adapted from the original by Nihil of cacophonous and was subsequently used for various promotional purposes wholly without my permission. Thus, this version will forever be known as the "impostor" logo, and although not entirely devoid of artistic merit, it is not officially part of the Bal-Sagoth logo mythos.
5. THE DARK ART LOGO ('95)
As previously mentioned, I had by this time begun working on a new version of the logo, which although notably different from its predecessors, still retained the essence of the classic original. It was this new logo concept which I sent to Antz of the Dark Art Agency, asking him to render it in dynamic, professional glory. The resultant logo is the one depicted here, and the form of the logo as it appears today was first recognized. I also asked Antz to produce a version featuring a sword down the middle of the logo as the original sported, but later decided to remove the bisecting blade permanently.
6. THE DARK ART/DIGITALIS "2D" LOGO ('95)
The final form of the logo was established. Before it could be applied to album covers, posters, flyers, etc, a few minor changes and embellishments had to be implemented. Cacophonous' in-house graphics department, Digitalis, made a few minor modifications to enhance the symmetry of the logo, as the concept of symmetry was always one which I considered of the utmost importance during my various revisions of the original and subsequent versions. This was the version which appeared on the cover of our first album, and in all connected promotional material and merchandise.
7. THE DARK ART/DIGITALIS "3D" LOGO ('96-'98
For the advent of our second album, I wanted a special new look for the logo. I requested that Digitalis give the logo an "archaic metallic" look, as if it had been forged in a blacksmith's fire. The result was the "bronzed" three dimensional version of the logo, with the "rusted" texture to the letters and the solid metallic perspective. It was this version of the logo, which was to feature on the covers of both our second and third albums, and which has been used in all promotional material and merchandising since its implementation in 1996. Thus, you behold the current version of the Bal-Sagoth logo, and the evolutionary process, for the moment at least, reaches its final stage. But of course, with the new millennium swiftly approaching (C.E.), and with the lyrics and music of Bal-Sagoth reaching ever more fervently for the stars, you can expect a few modifications of a suitably cosmic nature in the near future. .