THE DARK LORD OF LOGOS
INTERVIEW BY KLAUS PICHLER
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Click for a slideshow of logos
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Vice: So, Christophe Szpajdel, we hear that you’re the master of black-metal logos. But who are you, really?
Christophe: I am 37 years old, I come from Belgium but I live in Exeter, Devon, in the UK. In the last 20 years I have drawn more than 7,000 logos, mostly for black- and death-metal bands from all over the world, including Emperor, Moonspell, Nachtmystium, and Enthroned.
So do you sit alone by candlelight in the uppermost chamber of a castle and draw sinister things all night?
No. Besides drawing logos, I am a forestry engineer and I have a regular job as a customer-service assistant in retail. I need a job to support my artistic activity.
Will you stab me with a cursed, ruby-encrusted dagger if I say that I think you’re inspired by the Art Deco and Art Nouveau eras?
No. I am a big fan of Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and the Vienna Secession artists. But most important is a school of calligraphy that I created and developed. It’s called Depressiv’Moderne, and it’s a result of the merging of Art Deco, depressive dark ambient, and the actual economic depression we are in right now.
So you work in forestry engineering. Isn’t it contradictory to work for the protection of the environment while at the same time supporting music that wishes to lay waste to the earth until it’s a stinking heap of sulfur and bones?
I wouldn’t say so. In fact, it is some kind of a yin-yang. There are bands that make extreme music but lyrically deal with the purity of nature. They offer the perfect fusion between my fascination with nature—especially mountains—and metal. But a lot of extreme metal bands deal with the destruction of mankind, which I think is needed. Maybe not a complete destruction, but at least a drastic cull. Our streets need to be cleared of all the scumbags walking on them.
See all articles by this contributor Anonymous, on Dec 9, 2008 wrote:
look at all these people who dont understand metal | | Anonymous, on Dec 9, 2008 wrote:
Beautiful! A logo should reflect something of the spirit of the subject. These designs are creepy; just like the music. I am a traditional designer and I take my hat off. Not all good design sits in your design book collection. Go Christophe! He is not doing it for the money! | | Anonymous, on Dec 8, 2008 wrote:
As for them being all similar, on the scale of traditional artistic lettering and calligraphy they’re really not. They exhibit a much greater variety of letterforms and decorative elements than most traditional calligraphers or letterers, and are much more decorative and less concerned with traditional dictates of the "ideal" form factor for letters. | | Anonymous, on Dec 8, 2008 wrote:
Some of these logos have influenced my lettering for years, and now that I know who he is, all I can say is that I’m a huge fan. | | Anonymous, on Dec 8, 2008 wrote:
people will already know the bandname before they read the logo, they generally go, anyway, its normally printed in legible type down the side of a cd, so you can find out what they’re actually called, imagine what a cool t shirt this style of logo would make too! Oh and also you can’t read them because the pictures shown here are tiny, you idiots. | | Anonymous, on Dec 7, 2008 wrote:
this guy did a logo for my old bands logo like 2 years ago, he did it all in pencil and free hand and spent a month doing it.. www.myspace.com/tracesmetal | | Anonymous, on Dec 6, 2008 wrote:
it’s a real good idea to have a band and then pick a logo that nobody can read. why would anybody think its a good idea to brand a product(band) and not have a customer(fan) be able to read what the product is? lamo. | | Anonymous, on Dec 6, 2008 wrote:
Ah, a dude who spends his entire life copying what went down in 1990. Very Vice to do a piece on him. Veice keeps doing bm like it wasn’t dead by 1991. I guess they are sore they missed the whole thing and now wanna sound like they ALWAYS knew. Lemme tell ya-Vice wasn’t even around when Scando bm happenened. Sending a US photographer to do poses from 18 years ago with modelkids aint bm-it’s just Vice-come-lately. | | Anonymous, on Dec 5, 2008 wrote:
i thought the guy sounds cool..
the logos are clever but rubbish at the same time cos you cant read them that well =/ | | Anonymous, on Dec 4, 2008 wrote:
They are so, so cool! Amazingly detailed and beautiful in their own right! | | Anonymous, on Dec 4, 2008 wrote:
Comment from this "IDIOT"...
(ohhhh you can’t read them. ooooohhhh they all look the same. boo fucking hoo. they’re metal logos dimwits. what do you want, bubble letters? )
Well how can you promte your band,if no one knows your name...DUMBASS !!!! | | Anonymous, on Dec 4, 2008 wrote:
these are rad. the level of decipherability has never been an issue with logos like this. the nastier and more intricate the better. he knows what he’d doing. | | Anonymous, on Dec 4, 2008 wrote:
ohhhh you can’t read them. ooooohhhh they all look the same. boo fucking hoo. they’re metal logos dimwits. what do you want, bubble letters? | |
| SettingYToZero, on Dec 4, 2008 wrote:
Come on, guys. Of course they’re visually abrasive. And of course he makes metalcore design sound like an art. And of course the interviewer is a sarcastic [though I hope that, in itself, is tongue-in-cheek] twat.
You want some real fun: YouTube "Imortal, Call of the Wintermoon"! Dry, dry, dry. And hey--it’s all sorts of ’low-fi trendy’. | | Anonymous, on Dec 3, 2008 wrote:
Oh and Arial and Times new roman suck, period. | | Anonymous, on Dec 3, 2008 wrote:
Ok what the hell are all you peeps on about that are slating it like this? The guys making a living out of it, probably earning far more than you lot put together, the real idea behind a logo is that you’re immediately meant to tell what it represents the minute you look at it, and that represents bad ass heavy metal, which is what it is! I’m sorry if it makes your poor ol’ ears bleed, take your zimmerframes and hearing aids elsewhere! | | Anonymous, on Dec 2, 2008 wrote:
well, if you really want that all people understand just what is written there, write it in font arial, times new roman, things like that... And, ridiculous metal names?... Cool stuff is work till you got some cancer just to buy some shoes that shine in the dark, or have some tv bigger then your wall... what is ridiculous in this world? | | Anonymous, on Dec 1, 2008 wrote:
This guy did a logo for a band I was in years ago and he was pretty cool about it.
I agree that he comes off sounding like a typical Euro-snob, but he did the logo for free and even sent another joke logo under it for shits and giggles. I do agree it’s all a bit similar, but you go to the guy because that’s what you’re looking for, amiright? | | Anonymous, on Dec 1, 2008 wrote:
I think most of you are slightly ignorant to the nature of logo design and how it shapes according to clients.
They are all similar, but aren’t most of the clients? And they all demonstrate valid knowledge and appreciation and a degree of evolution in terms of Art Deco, which I find enjoyable.
So, suck it. | |
| Benny Boy, on Nov 30, 2008 wrote:
so fucking ugly... | | Anonymous, on Nov 30, 2008 wrote:
The person who interviewed him sounds like a dumb ass. Joking around with those poorly worded questions, you sound like a christian biggot | |
| paddym, on Nov 30, 2008 wrote:
Fuck I hate those logos. Whenever a show is advertised here, you can’t read the (corny) name of the fucking band. Are you afraid of advertising ore something... | | Anonymous, on Nov 29, 2008 wrote:
Storm Brian Front Hell Storm Brian | | Anonymous, on Nov 29, 2008 wrote:
why won’t yanks succumb to the tr00ness?! | | Anonymous, on Nov 28, 2008 wrote:
LOL @ all logos being similar... what a fag | | Anonymous, on Nov 28, 2008 wrote:
OK, He is the Dildo who creates these logos which noboby can read. Brilliant !!!! | | Anonymous, on Nov 27, 2008 wrote:
Just a comment on the comments which run from thoughtful intelligent to nationalistic fascist to just plain almost brain dead zombie. Nice cross section homo sap. | | Anonymous, on Nov 27, 2008 wrote:
He is an amazing designer - if you ever read this, you should leave those other jobs and dedicate yourself soley to design! | | Anonymous, on Nov 27, 2008 wrote:
i hate americans as well.. fatfucks | | Anonymous, on Nov 27, 2008 wrote:
I wanna eat some pussy not turkey! | | | < Previous 30 comments | Next 30 comments > |
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