The New Face of Concert Archives!

Concert Archives started out as a weekend project back in 2013 when I was feeling nostalgic for the shows of my past. Since it was a website about concerts, I just found a free ‘ticket’ icon for the logo, slapped the words ‘Concert Archives’ on the top, and kept coding away. Our site and apps have evolved a lot since then. And now, on our 8th birthday, so has our logo!

Making Magic with Jolby

We teamed up with one of my favorite design companies in the world: Jolby. They’ve worked with tons of cool brands like Sub Pop, Epitaph, and Pitchfork. Not only have I known the team behind Jolby for years, but we collaborated together on design for one of my previous startups. Plus, they’re fellow Portlanders, so it’s the perfect match!

They helped us bring to life a unique, recognizable logo with everything we love about concerts: the music, the energy, the experience. We’re excited to share our new face to the world:

brand new Concert Archives logo

So Much Meaning

Dreaming of a new logo, we wanted something that represented what Concert Archives is all about: the excitement and joy we feel during (and reliving) our favorite concerts.

We’ve managed to pack the logo full of meaning. The most obvious element is the ‘moth’. Moths, as it turns out, share a lot of parallels with concerts that made it a perfect symbol. In all the animal kingdom, moths actually have the best hearing. They’re nocturnal and attracted to the bright lights (a.k.a. stage lights). Sounds like us!

The coloring of moths is fascinating and we loved the idea of incorporating the ‘eyes’ that some have on their wings. Like this Emperor Moth:

picture of an emperor moth

On our logo, the eyes on the moth’s wings and the dot below are designed to make it look like a person wearing a mask. That represents all of us, the fans.

You’ll also see the subtle exclamation mark of its body. That’s the excitement and energy of seeing live music.

Finally, the position of the moth in between “CONCERT” and “ARCHIVES” has intentional meaning as well: that “front and center” is the place to be at a concert.

Our New Color Palette

Along with the new logo, we’re also excited to debut our new color palette. Of course it’s packed with meaning as well!

Concert Archives color palette

The prominent gold represents the brightness of the stage lights. The greens ­– the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest, where we call home. And the black is for the night and the darkened venues.

Screenshot & Link

Here’s a screenshot of the new design and you can try it for yourself on our website: concertarchives.org.

Concert Archives rebrand screenshot

I’m so happy with how our new logo and color scheme came out. Yeah, it looks super cool, but it’s also incredibly meaningful to what Concert Archives is all about.

I can’t say enough good things about the Jolby team and am excited that we’ll be collaborating with them on an ongoing basis. In the next project, they’ll be helping with some of the more subtle site design details and bringing the mobile app design up to snuff too.

Sentimental 8th Birthday Wishes ?

Moths have long represented change and transformation. Concert Archives is always growing and changing and concerts, as a whole, are too. We used to have paper ticket stubs, now we have digital entry. A photo pass used to be required but now we can all take photos and videos with our phones. And who knows how livestreaming concerts will evolve things. I’m really grateful for the journey the site has been on for the past eight years and am excited as ever for what’s to come for Concert Archives and concerts in general!

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