One of the three biggest music labels is ready to shake things up. As of today, Warner Bros. Records has officially changed its name to Warner Records. The record label had upheld the same name since it was founded in 1958… until now.
Of course, with this change in name comes a change in logo. The original logo adopted the shield logo of Warner Bros Pictures, which Warner Bros. Records was founded under as a new extension. The new graphic for Warner Records takes a simpler approach, setting the title in a refined, large, white font against a black background. Next to it is a “circular icon” that suggests a record, a sun, and a globe — essentially a nod to the label’s past iconography. It’s a just circle, yeah, but apparently it’s what you see in the circle that counts, because Warner Records wants the design “to mean different things to different people around the world.”
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The new Warner Records brand identity and logo were developed in partnership with Emily Oberman and Pentagram, the world’s largest independently owned design studio, which has worked with Rolls Royce, Sundance Institute, Rotten Tomatoes, and more.
The company has made several new steps leading up to this, too. The US company relocated to a new headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. Aaron Bay-Schuck joined as US Co-Chairman & CEO in October of last year, Tom Corson was appointed as US Co-Chairman & COO at the start of last year, and Phil Christie was named President of the UK label in 2016. Together, these changes suggest a new era for the label, and perhaps that more changes will come.
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“For the first time in the label’s history, we’ve had the opportunity to create a distinct, modern identity entirely of our own,” said Corson and Bay-Schuck in a press release. “The timing couldn’t be better, since we all feel the label is at a moment of reinvention that builds on our legacy, while moving into a future driven by fearlessness and creativity. We have a growing roster of world-class artists, a rejuvenated team, and an incredible new location. It’s a new day for Warner Records, an iconic label that was born in the California sun, and is at home everywhere on earth.”
The label posted a quick video to their Instagram, too, highlighting the new era Warner Records hopes to usher in. You can find that below.