A popular online music company, Bandcamp has a logo that is fairly minimalist without sacrificing its identity. It is meaningful, too.
The history of the brand started in 2008, when it was officially registered by four co-founders. In addition to Ethan Diamond, who was already known as one of the founders of Oddpost, there were also programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt, and Neal Tucker. They chose Oakland, California, as the place for the company’s headquarters.
What is Bandcamp?
The online platform launched in 2008 is used by artists and labels seeking to sell their music. Having uploaded their music, they then have a range of options allowing them to control the process of sale. Also, they have an option to introduce merchandise.
While many young companies would keep modifying their visual identity during their early years, the Bandcamp logo is remarkably consistent. One of the reasons for this is probably that the design does its job quite well.
The majority of the space is occupied by the wordmark, which features the name of the brand in an austere sans serif typeface. All the letters are lowercase. While the glyphs may appear utterly traditional, they still have a unique touch: both the “a’s” have been connected with the following letter (the “n” and “m” respectively), thus forming a single glyph with them. We can assume that this detail is used not for the sake of uniqueness alone, but also has meaning behind it. It may symbolize creating connections, which makes perfect sense as Bandcamp serves as a bridge between artists, labels, and fans.
To the left of the wordmark, there is a small emblem. Its shape was inspired by one of the buttons widely used on devices that play music. In other words, the emblem also bears meaning, in spite of its seeming simplicity. It also adds a subtle color accent.
The type looks contemporary due to the lack of serifs. Then again, the thickness of the strokes slightly varies from one part of the glyph to another, which adds a refined touch. The proportions and shape of the letters are classic, which helps to provide impeccable legibility.
While the color of the glyphs is also classic, black, the authors of the Bandcamp logo allowed themselves some freedom when it came to choosing the color of the emblem. It is a calm, unobtrusive teal shade helping to make the design a little more recognizable and adding a soft emotional touch.