Whether it’s bumper stickers or t-shirts or themed accessories, we love to share our personal interests in a variety of ways to those around us. Some interests we show off because we are incredibly and confidently passionate about them, like politics or humanitarian efforts or sports teams, and some things, we love to show off because we want people to know our interests and we want to attract those with similar interests. Regardless of how or why you visually show off your passions, the style and confidence that these types of items and accessories provide is unmatched.
One of the most common items we use to do this is clothing and specifically graphic t-shirts. Whether it’s a comfy shirt with a funny saying that you think aptly describes you, or a ratty old tee that you got at a concert of your favorite band, a graphic t-shirt is a common and effective way to get the message out. This is especially true for band t-shirts, because music, as a whole, has an exceptionally universal following, and chances are that if you wear your favorite graphic band t-shirt, you will make a quick friend through any fellow fan who sees it. Regardless of your music taste, there are a few famous band-related images that might stand above the rest, in terms of their popularity and iconic nature. Societees proudly understand this, so keep reading to learn more about just five of these iconic band images, and browse our collection of awesome band t-shirts here!
Probably one of the more famous heavy metal bands to ever grace this Earth, Mötley Crüe defined a rock generation. Formed in 1981 by three Americans, bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, and vocalist and guitarist Greg Leon, the band has made it’s impressive mark on music history. Through hedonistic rockstars putting on spectacular performances with flamethrower guitars, to hundreds of millions of albums sold with multiple platinum certifications, and all represented by their iconic shield badge. The shield is inspired by the biker gangs of old, the groups who could ride wherever and however they wanted, a fitting theme of toughness and bad-assery that is instilled in listeners with their heavy metal hard rock. And with such an iconic rock badge, having the badge on a vintage style t-shirt with faded print that makes it look like a relic from the ‘80’s will make all of your heavy metal rock friends quite jealous.
Inspired by the common phrase that differentiates types of power currents, the AC/DC logo and lightning bolt is just as iconic as some of their more popular songs, like “TNT”, “Highway to Hell”, or “Back in Black”. The band was formed by two Scottish brothers, Malcom and Angus Young, who felt the electrical terminology captured the energy of the music they were looking to create — a vision they certainly followed through with. They commissioned artist Gerald Huerta to create the logo, a one-time commission deal that Huerta surprisingly never received any royalties for. Interestingly though, the font design of the letters was inspired by the Gutenberg Bible, one of the first mass-produced books in history. An iconic band, with an iconic name and logo, the AC/DC lightning bolt image is instantly recognizable for rock and non-rock fans all over the world — the perfect contender to throw on a graphic tee design of your choice and show people your culture and passion.
One of the most famous rock bands to ever exist, Kiss was a generational staple of hard rock, led by larger than life characters who played at absurdly elaborate and incredible performances. Formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmions, Peter Criss, and Ace Freshley, the band rose to prominence behind these elaborate concert performances that including fire breathing, blood-spitting, and levitating drum kits, as well as the group in their iconic makeup and costumes. While the extended prosthetic tongue is instantly recognizable, so too is their text logo, with simplistic block letters that change to a slanted font for the last two s’s. While the specific design of the S’s had evoked concern based off of the similarity to the insignia of the German secret police in WW2, the two members who created it, Stanley and Simmons, are both of the Jewish faith and deny any intentional likeness. After being haphazardly hand-drawn by Stanely with a sharpie and ruler, the logo has lived on, from bumper stickers to vintage rock t-shirts.
Probably one of the most iconic images in the world, the rainbow prism image from the legendary Pink Floyd album, “The Dark Side of the Moon” is recognizable by really anyone around the world, regardless of music taste, or even interest in music. Considered by many as one of the greatest album covers of all time, the simple triangle shape representing a prism shows a beam of light flowing through it that refracts into a rainbow color spectrum, emphasized by the black background and minimalist design. The image was designed by the well known band graphic designer Storm Thorgerson from Buzzoid, and in addition to being simply a cool looking image, has been circulated on posters and t-shirts all over the world. Whether or not you’re a Pink Floyd fan, the Dark Side of the Moon prism image is a perfect fit for any graphic tee, and will look good on you, regardless of your taste in music.
One of the more iconic rock bands to ever exist, Def Leppard is an English band that was formed in 1977 in Sheffield, England by Joe Elliot, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell. Leading a new wave of the British heavy metal movement, the band experienced great commercial success in the 1980’s and 90’s. The iconic font, aggressively slanted, Gothic, and usually colorful, didn’t appear until 1999, when it was used as their album cover artwork for their album “Euphoria”. The font is quite similar to an angular font called “pyrite”, and since it’s use, has evoked nostalgia and hysteria for the legendary English rock band. Any rock fan worth their salt will recognize that font and the music that comes with it immediately — so why not show it off to the world on a cool vintage rock t-shirt?
Whether you are a hardcore rock fan or just a fan of some cool graphic t-shirts, a band t-shirt with one of these iconic images is always cool, no matter what your age or music taste is. Some of the greatest bands to ever exist have created some of the most iconic images out there, and what better place to show off that fame and style than on a graphic t-shirt from Societees. Visit our shop today for a massive collection of band t-shirts, and other amazing graphic t-shirt designs.
Hey Santa, Listen up, I don’t wanna do your job for you, but you have overlooked some really important peeps for your permanent Nice list. Please find the official SocieTees Nice List below and get them on it.
Hey Santa, I know you have an open mind, but these guys need to be on your permanent Naughty list. Not that they care, just don’t even give them coal, they will only use it for evil. Please find the official SocieTees Naughty list below
The man, the myth, the legend from The A-Team, known for his mohawk, gold chains, and tough-guy persona.
