KISS Logo
Theatrical productions, fascinating make-up, and crazy atmosphere on the stage are all the elements that characterized the legendary band KISS. Typically, it is attributed to genres of rock music such as hard rock and glam rock. Critics also called them thunder rockers. They also experimented with disco (Dynasty), pop rock, art rock/progressive rock, and grunge. It is interesting to note that at the 1st concert, there were only 3 individuals in the audience. Ten years later, it set a record attendance of a quarter of a million in the cultural capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. Entering the stage, rock and roll veterans still hit it hard just like they did at the start of their careers. They post photos of the tour on their Instagram page.
Meaning and History
The history of KISS began in 1972 when New York guys Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley formed Wicked Lester. The group played a mixture of rock and roll and glam rock but did not last long. Then, drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley joined Gene and Paul and they formed a new group in January 1973. Their first performance was at the Popcorn Club that same month. The musicians began to work hard to create an original image, so they always performed in makeup. There was a period in their history from 1983 to 1995, when the members performed without makeup though. The band repeatedly broke up and reunited again. Back in the day, KISS chose teenagers as the target audience. The fans of the performers have grown old along with them. The band’s name is rumored to be an acronym for “Knights In Satan’s Service”. According to Simmons, Stanley was the one to come up with the name ‘KISS’ while they were on the train together.
What is KISS?
Kiss is an American rock band that plays glam rock and hard rock. It is widely known for the development of the shock-rock direction, the stage makeup of its participants, as well as concert shows, accompanied by various pyrotechnic effects.
1973 – Today
It was Frehley, the guitarist, who designed the band’s logo. The logo, which includes lightning bolts instead of the last two “S” letters, is reminiscent of the Nazi symbols. Although both the fathers of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, as well as guitarist and keyboardist Bruce Kulick are Jews, and accusations of supporting Nazism are groundless, in several countries (Germany, Israel, Hungary), the albums featured inverted “Z”s. We are sure the connection was a pure coincidence as even the color palette of the logo, which has a red and yellow gradient, reminds of a lightning bolt. To create an even more powerful look, each letter has a thick black outline, followed by a thinner yellow than black again.
Font and Color
The color palette of the KISS group shows that they were passionate about what they were doing and reflects the energy of all the members. It features a red and yellow gradient with black being used for outlines. Such colors instantly catch the attention and a unique font gives the logo a memorable appearance. The custom font has bold, sans-serif letters with the “S” stylized as a lightning bolt and looking a lot like a flipped letter “Z”.
