A Perfect Circle is a US rock supergroup that was created in 1999 by Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan.
The logo was developed by Billy Howerdel, the band’s guitarist. In a 2011 interview with Atlanta Music Guide, he explained that his aim was an emblem with a hidden meaning. At first glance, it looked like two crescents (one of them larger, the other one smaller), but according to the guitarist, “actually held two perfect circles” and “represented Maynard [James Keenan] and me.”
Also, Howerdel mentioned that the logo alluded to the song “3 Libras” (released in 2000) and the line from it “You don’t see me at all.” Thus, the design was inspired by the “feeling like there’s a lot to offer, but invisible.” In the interview, he said that this feeling is familiar to millions – one has to watch something for a long time before one gets an insight. But that is a valuable experience, so Howerdel wanted to incorporate this experience into the logo.
The emblem showcases “two perfect circles in there; they’re just hard to see,” resumes Howerdel.
On a Quora thread about the possible meaning of the logo, several fans suggested their explanation. Judging from these answers, you can easily see that every person interprets this design in her own way, which is very different from the original inspiration.
Here are some of the versions:
– a symbol of the inherent flaws in everything
– the importance of relationships/friendships (because there are two elements). This explanation can be supported by the fact that the songs from the APC’s first album were devoted to significant people in the life of Maynard James Keenan.
– the life/death cycle
– the circle as a symbol of the connection with the fans
– the connection between past and future
– the symbol of infinity
In the interview cited above, Howerdel also mentioned that he commissioned an artist to draw the font in 1999. There were two versions, an “elegant” one and a “Mayan” one. The former stuck and was often used for the name of the band in A Perfect Circle logo.