Logo #24: Articles of Faith

Vic Bondi, guitarist / vocalist for Chicago hardcore band Articles of Faith, writes, "Like everything in those days, we designed it ourselves. All the other bands had logos, and we wanted one. We thought about an upside-down cross, or a cross like the cross of a rifle sight - but those were too close to other bands such as Die Kreuzen. So we ended up with the off-center cross. Kind of strange in a way: we and most of the other bands in those days were relentlessly anti-corporate, and yet we all quickly made "corporate-lite" logos. Our drummer Bill "Virus X" Richman probably did the bulk of the thinking, and certainly laid out the design. We probably did it in late 1981." Beautifully stark and completely effective in eye-catching, the placement of the cross-hairs (i.e. do you take the shot?) implies doubt and deviation, two things incessantly plaguing punk as a catalyst for lasting change. Punk's logical conclusion brings up a dilemma that can be summed up in just two words: "Now what?" "No future" was easy - everything just stops and that's that. "If they treat you like crap then act like manure" is a terrible slogan because it's too long - but it's a process that ultimately works purely through sheer Zen pragmatism. At one point, Bondi worked at Microsoft, editing entries for their Encarta encyclopedia. The fount of all knowledge. Irony of ironies.