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Queen is an English rock band, formed in 1970 by guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor after the disband of Smile, along with Freddie Mercury as the lead singer. John Deacon would later join the band in 1971 as the bass guitarist. The band achieved worldwide recognition in the 1970's and 1980's with their memorable hits such as Bohemian RhapsodyWe Are The Champions, Another One Bites the Dust, Radio Ga Ga, etc.

To this day Queen remains active, but after the death of Mercury in 1991 and the retirement of Deacon in 1997, the band no longer releases songs (with Made in Heaven from 1995 being their last album).

May and Taylor continued performing billed as "Queen +" followed by the guest singer's name. Since 2004 they have toured with vocalists Paul Rodgers (2004–2009) and Adam Lambert (2011–present).

1973–1976[]

Queen-crest-original
Queen-logo
Designer:  Freddie Mercury
Typography:  Unknown
Launched:  13 july 1973

Until the release of their debut album in 1973 Queen didn't have an official logo.  Having attended art college, Freddie Mercury designed the band's first logo called the "Queen Crest" which combines the zodiac signs of all four members:

  • Two lions for Leo (John Deacon and Roger Taylor) 
  • A crab for Cancer (Brian May)
  • And two fairies for Virgo (Freddie Mercury)


There is also a crown inside the "Q", and the whole logo is contained by a huge phoenix. The symbol resembles the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, particularly with the lions. The wordmark was used on single labels in the UK. This logo can be seen in the cover of the band's first two albums Queen (1973) and Queen II (1974) (wordmark in the front-side and the crest in the back-side). On Sheer Heart Attack (1974) the crest is placed on the inner sleeve.

1976–present[]

Queen-logo and crest
Designer:  Freddie Mercury
Typography:  Unknown
Launched:  Unknown

When the album A Day at the Races was released in 1976, the crest was redesigned to be more detailed and the wordmark was also changed. This logo has been used officially by the band since then and it will remain unchanged.

References[]

https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/queen/logo-meaning-design/

Smile
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