Rolling Stone Logo PNG
The style in which the Rolling Stone logo is executed speaks of love for the project, its magnitude, and its immense significance. All elements create such an impression, as they adorn the cover every month, under which readers find a lot of interesting content. That’s why the leadership maintains the emblem’s appealing look so that the outer design aligns with the magazine’s inner content.
Rolling Stone released its first issue in San Francisco on 9 November 1967. The magazine was founded by 21-year-old Jann Wenner, a former University of California, Berkeley student, and Ralph Gleason, music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. John Lennon appeared on the first cover, dressed for the film How I Won the War.
The launch was modest: a newspaper-style format, a few thousand copies, a price of 25 cents, and $7,500 borrowed from relatives and Wenner’s future in-laws. The office was free, and the staff used second-hand typewriters. Wenner’s idea was to treat rock and roll as a subject worth serious journalism, at a time when Time, major newspapers, and television rarely did.
Hunter S. Thompson became central to the magazine’s identity after first visiting the office in 1970. His report on the Aspen sheriff election opened a new phase for Rolling Stone. In 1971, the magazine published Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, later seen as a landmark of gonzo journalism. Thompson also covered the 1972 presidential campaign, producing work later collected in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail.
In 1977, Wenner moved the editorial office to New York, closer to advertisers and record companies. During the 1980s, Rolling Stone shifted toward pop culture, film, and youth television. At the same time, Spin, founded in 1985, became a major rival in the music press. The magazine later faced reputational damage after its 2014 University of Virginia story was retracted. BandLab bought 49 percent in 2016, Penske Media took control in 2017, and became the sole owner in 2019.
Meaning and History
Jann Wenner adored rock and roll and dreamed of it, so he decided to compensate for his love with his music-themed magazine. He chose a significant title, using the English proverb “A Rolling Stone gathers no moss.” It elevated the print edition to a high level and served as the source for Bob Dylan’s song “Like A Rolling Stone”. The logo for the first issue was drawn by Rick Griffin, a popular artist and author of underground comics and psychedelic posters, whose works adorned San Francisco throughout the 60s.
It was a hand-drawn sketch in the Art Nouveau style, used as-is without post-processing. Inner and outer shadows, many curls, smooth contours, and an engraving-like effect characterized it. It began a multi-year evolution of the glossy magazine’s visual identity, suggesting the path for subsequent emblems. A few years later, other well-known figures added their hand to it: John Pistilli, Jon Valk, and Jim Parkinson.
What is Rolling Stone?
Rolling Stone is a monthly magazine published in San Francisco, California, and owns its own website. It covers the world of music, politics, and culture. It was founded in 1967 by Jann Wenner (a former student at the University of California, Berkeley), who invited Ralph Gleason (a jazz critic at the San Francisco Chronicle) to collaborate. Together, they created a periodical that quickly gained popularity thanks to its detailed coverage of music events. The magazine now belongs to the Penske Media Corporation.
1967 – 1975
The Rolling Stone logo is text-based. It consists of a single inscription on a single line. This is how Rick Griffin, a graphic artist whose work massively decorated San Francisco in the 1960s, depicted it. The author created massive letters in the Art Deco style, decorated with many swirls. Wide glyphs are balanced and complemented by shadows, which are present on both the frontal and the inner parts. Because of their concentration, the phrase seems three-dimensional, and the smooth lines and rounded shapes create a sense of glamour. However, monochrome adds a sense of severity, making the text look gothic.
1975 – 1977
John Pistilli eliminated the impression of doom, so the logo now appears lively and life-affirming. The Gothic elements vanished. This was necessary to maintain the magazine’s image as its prestige grew weekly. The publication was being distributed in vast quantities. With increased scale came advertising, which required a modern visual identity. The leader at the time selected a well-known inscription artist.
The master didn’t change the logo’s original traits; they simply removed visual noise. He eliminated the shadows on the front of the letters but kept the ones on the right side. As a result, the text became clean without losing its three-dimensional format. The designer overlaid the glyphs with a light gray color and hatched the sides. Bright highlights were also added.
1977 – 1980
A new era required a new logo. The editorial board complied, as the magazine’s popularity depends even on the cover’s attractiveness. Jim Parkinson had a hand in the upgraded logo. The revamped design yielded another original font, the basis for a whole family of typefaces. To preserve the emblem’s recognizability, the artist duplicated the shadow but reinterpreted the rest:
- removed large dots at the ends of letters;
- dispensed with complex curls;
- switched the letters to lowercase (except for “S” and “R”);
- added italics;
- reduced the volume of black color;
- connected the two parts of the name.
In other words, he made significant changes. However, this benefited the magazine as it prepared to release its anniversary issue.
1981 – 2019
In this case, we see a combination of the debut and new designs. The blend proved successful, as even the large curls harmoniously fit into the updated style. The creators colored the glyphs red and outlined them in gray. The black shadow added contrast to the letters.
2019 – 2022
The magazine’s management decided to focus on the digital format, as many media outlets had already moved online. They adjusted the logo to meet computer standards so the icon could appear in both the app and on the website. As a result, a flat emblem appeared, without filigree, an outline, or shadows, but definitely in Rolling Stone’s signature style.
2022 – today
After working on a two-dimensional logo for some time, the editorial board wanted to infuse it with more tradition while retaining its digital directness. This decision resulted in an emblem with red letters, double outlining, and deep shadows.
Font and Colors
Two types of typefaces are used in Rolling Stone logos. The first is individual, hand-drawn, in the Art Deco style. The second is Royal Acidbath (inscription without outline) and Royal Acidbath Outline (letters with contour). The developer of this font is the Sharkshock studio. The brand’s palette is predominantly red. It is periodically accompanied by white, black, and two shades of gray.