Illegibility as visual language

recurring formal elements in heavy metal logos

Authors

• Larissa Garcia Johansen UNESP
• Gustavo Lassala Silva UNESP

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36704/transverso.v1i20.11132

Keywords:

logotype, illegibility, heavy metal, dissensus, visual language

Abstract

This study identifies recurring formal characteristics in illegible heavy metal band logos and discusses how these recurrences may indicate the consolidation of a visual language of subcultural identification. The research combines a literature review with the visual analysis of 20 logos produced between 1985 and 2021, selected from Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives. Seven formal attributes were examined, especially pointed edges, present in 19 examples, rooting, identified in 14, and extension of extremities, observed in 11 cases. The results indicate that illegibility does not correspond to the repetition of a single formula, but to the consolidation of a shared visual repertoire, formed by varied combinations of recurring attributes and capable of articulating recognition and differentiation within the subculture.

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