#logoform

It is at the beginning of the early 2000’s that I started to give Hip-Hop a lot more attention. I was reading books and magazines about the culture, as well as watching documentaries about it and listening to rap. There is something that stroke me while learning about the culture. Logos. The logos that rappers, rap groups, clothing brands and crews had been unheard of – to me. I was astonished by the aesthetics involved in Hip-Hop’s visual identity. It was bold, filled with character, colourful, but mainly honest and authentic. It embodied Hip-Hop. While discovering that visual universe, one of the logos hit me more than any other. Wu-Tang Clan’s “W”.

This logomark fascinated me and still does. I remember being obsessed with it. Spending hours drawing it from memory on any piece of paper that I had. It was like if I was possessed. There was a certain satisfaction in being able of (massively) reproducing such an iconic logo. I would then try to draw the different variations of it. I did this because I had found something that spoke to me. It was a shape that was easy to reproduce, while still being unique. The thing is that I had not yet heard any of their music, but was able to still understand the importance of that mark. Not what it meant but more what it represented: the strength in numbers and that the unity of the rap group was as strong as the roots of a 300-year-old tree. It was just like in the old Kung-Fu and Shaolin flicks that my uncle used to watch. It is a symbol of truth, unity and honour and remains one of my favourite logos out there. Not only I have a strong connection to it due to my love for Hip-Hop, but it is also a logo that remains relevant after 20 years of existence, which is the most important that a logo has to do. Staying relevant. This would have not been made possible without Mathematic's mind. Thank you.