How come U2 doesn have a logo, a single identifiable icon to associate with the band?
The Stones lips logo is classic and every band would love to have such an identifiable trademark but few work as well as that. But then the Stones were already a huge band when that was introduced so it had the effect of emphasising their identity. In the U2 context we have created recognisable icons like the War photograph or the Joshua Tree silhouette but we are always trying to move on and so we have never deliberately created such an icon. Let’s talk about doing an album cover. At what point in the recording of an album do you get involved? What’s the process — who brings the ideas to the table and how do decisions get made? These days we get involved at an early stage in the recording process so we can get a feel of where the music is going at that stage. From there we discuss possible visual direction and titles and design a number of directions which are discussed directly with the band. After an agreement as to a particular image we begin to refine the cover and then begin to
