Thursday, August 16, 2007

Logo #26: Devo

Devo's "energy dome" (or "flowerpot," as it's been re-purposed recently) is an emblematic piece of headgear designed collectively by Devo (Bob Casale, Gerald V. Casale, Bob Mothersbaugh, Mark Mothersbaugh, and "Oh That" Alan Myers) in 1980 and featured prominently on the cover of their "Freedom of Choice" LP. Just like the myriad varieties of Kryptonite, there are several colors of domes: green in 1981 for "Solid Gold"; white in 1982 during their spokesmanship for the then-new Diet Coke; silver chrome-domes for a few 2002 dates; and blue domes for Nike's 2004 "Run Hit Wonder" race and live action, coordinated with the event's overall color scheme. Gerald Casale explains, "(The Dome) was designed according to ancient ziggurat mound proportions used in votive worship. Like the mounds it collects energy and recirculates it. In this case the Dome collects energy that escapes from the crown of the human head and pushes it back into the medulla oblongata for increased mental energy." What Casale hasn't been able to explain is the existence of Devo 2.0, a particularly startling level of selling out that must have gone down quicker than a hand reaching for the Jergens on Valentine's Day.

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