
The Ramones found another co-conspirator in Arturo Vega (1947–2013), who drew on his background in screen-printing to make posters and t-shirts for the band. Roberta Bayley, Punk’s principal photographer and photo editor, also worked the door at CBGB, where she got to know subjects like Blondie, Richard Hell, and the Ramones, who used one of her images from Punk as their first album cover. His illustrations appear on two Ramones albums. Holmstrom, a student of Mad magazine founder Harvey Kurtzmann at the School of Visual Arts, brought a comic-book aesthetic to rock journalism. Punk, the magazine that named the movement, was started by John Holmstrom, Legs McNeil, and Ged Dunn-youngsters who saw the magazine more as a trick to get into clubs than as a stepping-stone to careers in publishing.

Punk would be as much a visual movement as a musical one. Taking cues from Andy Warhol’s work with the Velvet Underground, and from the psychedelic rock posters and underground comics of Haight-Ashbury, these artists allied themselves with the CBGB bands. The seal appeared on the back of the Ramones’ self-titled debut album and has been a part of the band’s identity ever since.In the tenements, lofts, and nightclubs of 1970s New York, punk musicians mingled with visual artists who were just as eager for something new. The Ramones’ seal logo was a part of the band from the very start.
RAMONES T SHIRT UPDATE
The logo would update these names as lineup changes occurred over the years, but the original founding members’ names are the finishing touch on the world-famous logo. Dee Dee, Tommy, Johnny and Joey - the original Ramones - each had their names included around the seal. While Vega may have been the “fifth” Ramone, the final detail of the seal was the inclusion of the four founding members names. The use of arrowheads was another way to symbolize the edgy punk sound the Ramones created. The red, white and blue shield at the center of the presidential seal was also replaced by Vega. Instead of the star design above the eagle’s head, arrows are striking outward.Ĩ. The Ramones’ logo is filled with imagery, and while Vega did remove the arrows from the eagle’s talons, he still included them as a way to represent the band’s “aggressive” sound. The banner held in the eagle’s beak reads “Hey Ho, Let’s Go,” which are the famous lyrics from the band’s first single “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Vega initially had the idea of using the text “Look out below” instead, but decided to go with the now-iconic lyrics. This ties back to Vega’s belief that the Ramones were “as American as apple pie.” The eagle’s other talon, which holds an olive branch as a peace offering in the presidential seal, is actually holding an apple tree branch. It was also a play off of the track Beat On The Brat. This was meant to symbolize Johnny Ramones’ love for baseball, replacing the arrows traditionally held by the eagle. The eagle holds a baseball bat in one of its talons. This design has stood the test of time, first created in 1976 and still going strong over four decades later.Ĥ.

Vega saw the group as the “ultimate” all-American band, so he decided to use the US presidential seal as the foundation for the Ramones’ official logo. The Ramones seal continues on as a piece of living history, transcending music culture and becoming iconic around the world.

The legendary Ramones classic logo t-shirt was actually the band’s primary source of income for several years, and overall, they've sold more shirts than albums. The Ramones have sold more shirts than albums He was the band's creative director, archivist, and was responsible for creating the seal and t-shirt that propelled the Ramones’ image in their early years. Vega was also a close confidant of the group, even letting Joey and Dee Dee live with him before the band had recorded their first album.Ģ. The man who designed their logo was the “fifth” RamoneĪrturo Vega, the man who designed the iconic Ramones logo, was widely considered the “fifth” Ramone.

Here are 10 awesome facts about the history of the Ramones' seal.ġ. The Ramones are one of the most influential bands of all-time, birthing an entire genre of music as the fathers of punk. 40-plus years since their 1976 debut, the Ramones remain musical icons, and their logo is one of the most recognizable band logos ever created.
