Anatomy of an Angry Logo

 Logos!

We have logos thrown at us daily, whether while scrolling through our phones or from the grills of cars passing us by on the street. Logos and brand names are everywhere! So when it came to creating a logo for my first comic book, I'll be honest I didn't give it that much thought. I asked the artist working on the Angry Squad to whip something up that looked semi-cool, and the rest would be ok.

It wasn't until I sat down and looked over a bunch of comics that I realized a comic book logo is an integral part of your comic book brand. It's the thing that makes it recognizable and attracts or provides association to the audience/consumer. For example, we immediately know what the Ford Motor Car Company logo feels and looks like or what the Apple computer logo looks like without much thought. When we see these logos, we know what car to expect and what type of computer or quality of smart device will be available.

The comic book logo is your story, character and world branding. For instance, look at the Superman logo, The Punisher logo, the X-Men logo, and even the Angry Birds logo. They all speak to the story on offer. They're all on brand.

So how did I go about designing an Angry Squad logo? Firstly, I hopped on Google and image-searched twenty-odd comic book logos, printed them out and compared them. The Punisher logo, for example, doesn't just feature Frank Castle's signature skull and big and bold all-caps font for the heck of it. It's all designed to create an association with the character and emote a feeling.

After researching logos until my eyes bled, I put a brief together and posted a couple of jobs to find a freelance designer on UpWork and Fiverr.

I wanted something slick, sleek, encompassed a team/squad/force, and had big, bold and distinct lines. The colour palette was either red, yellow, or blue. I was hoping for a design that could suit a chrome hood ornament for an old collectible car. My reasoning behind these specifics is that the Angry Squad is a team of unusual individuals.  They're big and brash people and are led by a guy who was a relic of the past. Back in his heyday, Angry Fred was a highly sought-after go-to guy (kind of like a shiny chrome Cadillac!) Plus, when you think of teams in pop culture, logos seems big, bold and signature driven. They evoke a stamp, a badge or an exclusive presence.  Just check out the A-Team, Mission Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and even James Bond himself! (Although he isn't a team, is he?!)

Below are some of the logos the designers submitted for the Angry Squad logo.

I think one of the designs in the mix felt a little too Hellboyish, plus I'm pretty sure some Grand Theft Auto vibes are going on as well.

Here's the final logo that I decided on.  (Thanks to a few folks on my Instagram page for voting for this logo.  Out of 13 comments, 12 liked this one : ) )

I think Angry Fred's fist was an excellent addition to the logo. Plus, it also looks great in black or white format. (I realized having a logo that suits solid black or white was super useful for designs such as a credit page or promotional artwork that call for different styles.)

If you want to see the final Angry Squad logo in action, head over to angryfredcomics.com and download a free copy of Angry Squad #1.

DOWNLOAD A FREE COPY OF ANGRY SQUAD: CODE ANGRY

Thanks for reading my blog post!

Until next time let's get angry!

Lucas - Angry Fred Comics