Metallica Rebranding

Here's another great nugget from our friends at Under Consideration and one I should have caught. With the release of their new album, Death Magnetic (which rocks!), Metallica went through a rebranding effort with agency Turner Duckworth whose work has included such clients as Amazon, Palm, Dolby, and Coke. Here's a quote from the band:

"This time, we wanted to work with professionals who understand iconography," said James Hetfield, Metallica's lead singer. Lars Ulrich, drummer, said, "We wanted somebody who commanded respect in branding but were not jaded by the music business. Someone who would bring fresh ideas. Enter Turner Duckworth, Enter happy days."

Along with the packaging, TD altered the original logo designed by Metallica's front man, James Hetfield, by widening the mark, bringing the x-height down, centering the 'A', and redrawing the 'C' for a more balanced, clean, aggressive look. 

I've also posted their past logos, first used from 1995-2003, second from 2003-2008, both of which strayed from their original successful design, much like their music did during those periods. This rebrand not only brings back the glory of their first logo, but mirrors what the band achieved in their latest release of Death Magnetic but going back to what they know best, thrash metal: galloping power chords, double bass, face melting solos, and whaling vocals. Rock on!

Check out the packaging effort by TD in the full post at Brand New by clicking here.