Sorry if this topic has come up here before, but for me it has always
been a great story how Mick did not hire a "professional" designer for
their logo and gave the opportunity to a student at the Royal College of Art.
Pasche described how the design, based on Mick Jagger’s mouth, was created to represent the band’s anti-authoritarian attitude. Heres part of the story :


John Pasche
The Rolling Stones tongue and lips is one of the most recognisable logos in rock history, but the artist behind it, John Pasche, has remained relatively anonymous in the art world, until now.

The story behind how Pasche was commissioned to make the cult symbol is like a dream come true for any artist or designer at the beginning of their career. In 1970, The Rolling Stones office contacted the Royal College of Art and asked if they could recommend a student to come along and meet with lead singer Mick Jagger to discuss the designing of a poster for their forthcoming European tour.

Two weeks later the fortunate student, a young John Pasche, delivered the finished artwork which was approved by the band. Jagger surprised student and visitors by turning up at the Royal College unannounced to see the artwork exhibited in Pasche’s degree show exhibition.

Due to the success of the poster art, Pasche was then commissioned to design a logo for their independent record label and the tongue and lips was born. The first major outing for the logo was on the inner bag for the Stones’ 1971 album Sticky Fingers. By 1972, Pasche had formed a successful working relationship with Jagger and was asked to design a poster for their 1972 American Tour which featured the logo on their tour plane.

In subsequent years, the poster became a major collector’s item in the States. Pasche retained the artwork and copyright of the posters as well as the original logo art which was bought by the V&A Museum and will be exhibited there from April 2009.

IORR............but I like it!

Jason Schwartzman can play Pasche in the movie...




IORR............but I like it!

Was his design for She's so cold in 1981?

...and here it is, in situ at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.....



It is located in the 'New Acquisitions' room.

Funny how the original and the one used for Sticky Fingers are slightly different and that the original would only be used for smaller things, like the promo poster for IORR and for some things with Emotional Rescue and Undercover.

How much of the success of the Stones merchandise could be attributed
to the tongue?
Are there any numbers on this?

I remember many years ago reading an article on Fortune Magazine
with Mick and Keith on the cover. Rolling Stones Inc.
Here they separeted their incomes by record sales, concert sales, merchandising,
rights for use of stones songs on movies, commercials, etc.

I was surprised to see at the U2 concert in Giant Stadium that there was hardly any
merchandise and people where not buying anything.In a way I tought this was good.
The Stones probably overdo the whole merchandising thing, but I'm sure it represents
big $ for them, and the tongue logo has much to do with this success.