Design
ca.1971 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Preliminary outline for the logo for the popular music group Yes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pencil on paper pasted to support card, with tracing paper overlay annotated in coloured inks |
| Brief description | Preliminary outline for the logo for the popular music group Yes. By Roger Dean, Great Britain, ca.1971. |
| Physical description | Preliminary outline for the logo for the popular music group Yes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Roger Dean (born 1944)
Rough sketches for the Yes logo
1972
Pencil
Dean was asked to design the cover for the Yes album 'Close to the Edge'. A previous album cover, designed by Laurence Sackman, used a relatively conventional type fount for the band's title. Dean was already noted for his use of highly imaginitive and fantastic architectural forms. The confident new logo of 'organic' lettering in fact started in Dean's imagination rather uncertainly, and it took several attempts before the designer was able to refine the shape to his satisfaction. |
| Credit line | Given by Roger Dean |
| Object history | Historical significance: Dean's importance lies in the fact that he was the first sleeve designer to work consistently with groups and become noted in his own right as a creative contributor to the appearance of a group. He has influenced designers in the 1980s such as Ian Anderson of the Designers Republic and in some ways established the profession of sleeve designer. Dean's work represents an important stylistic phase in pre-punk Britain that grew out of the psychedelic work of Michael English in the 1960s. His general importance to the British record industry is attested by Richard Branson's commission for a label logo for his newly formed Virgin Records in 1970. |
| Historical context | Roger Dean trained as a furniture designer and although he is best known for his record sleeve artwork his main concerns are still with the three-dimensional object. (He has designed chairs, interiors and houses and is currently (1991) exploring the possibility of designing a theme-park with a Japanese company.) Dean graduated from the RCA in 1968 and in the same year designed the seating for the club 'Upstairs' at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. His interests in architectonic and organic forms are reflected in his sleeve art. His work for the rock group Yes established a strong 'corporate identity' further enhanced with the 'organic' logotype (ca.1971). He began designing stage sets for the group in 1972 which reflected the sleeve designs. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | Edge, Kevin. The Art of Selling Songs : Graphics for the Music Business, 1690-1990. London : Futures Publications, 1991. p.94. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.2446-1991 |
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| Record created | March 4, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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