Last week, boy group Bangtan Sonyeondan announced via video animation a new brand identity, including a new logo and an added meaning to their commonly used acronym, BTS – Beyond the Scene.
Fans of BTS – known as ARMY – are hailing the changes as the start of new era for the group, which has seen explosive growth over the past year.
Since their debut in 2013 until last week, this was BTS' logo:
Now their new branding includes a series of cleaner, simpler graphics which the group described on Twitter, "shows an image of us and ARMY connected as one."
Straying from the illustrative nature of their old bulletproof vest graphic, the new logo is quite abstract with the only clues being its opening line, “SEE YOU THERE,” and BTS leader Rap Monster narrating the new slogan – “Beyond the Scene.”
BTS’s new graphics piqued our interest in the branding efforts of other K-pop groups. Some groups stick to their original logo for years, such as CNBLUE, SHINee, and 2NE1 just to name a few. Others change their logo as often as every comeback or album release.
As with any other forms of entertainment marketing, the frequency of changing logos matters less so than making sure the overall branding is consistent throughout a group’s growth. This makes it easier for fans and newcomers to recognize the group’s brand and associate it with their music.
Let's take a look at how some K-pop group logos have changed over the years...
EXO often creates new logos for the albums they release. While each unique logo is tailored to their respective album concepts, EXO has been really successful at keeping their brand visually consistent by sticking to a set of graphic rules – whether it’s adhering to the hexagonal lines or playing with asymmetry. We’re especially excited by the more organic graphic direction of the new logos recently released for their summer comeback.
Like their label mate EXO, Girls’ Generation has changed their logo nearly every year. However, the girl group’s branding seems to be allowed more flexibility in terms of graphic consistency. This is probably largely due to the fact that their branding is focused on text, rather than a graphic like EXO. We can’t wait to see what Girls’ Generation has in store for their summer comeback, especially since it’s their 10th anniversary as a group.
Infinite has a LOT of logos (this isn’t even all of them!). While it’s commendable that they put so much effort into making each album, music video, tour, and concert unique with its own logo, it can be quite overwhelming for a new fan. Other than usually being an infinity symbol, each of the logos seem to have free reign on what it wants to be.
After announcing a new logo contest in 2014, Apink unveiled the winning heart-shaped logo that seemed to better represent the group’s image. The new logo takes on simpler, more legible text, while still speaking to the old logo with similar line work.
Veteran group 2PM surprised fans when they announced a new official logo back in April. It was a big change from the logo they had used for nine years, opting to stray from the original heavy text and more toward a contemporary logo which combines 2, P, and M into a heart-shaped graphic.
Lovelyz used the heart-shaped crest logo for most of their content since their debut in 2014. Last year’s EP titled, “A New Trilogy” and this year’s repackaged album “Now, We” both came with new logos that incorporated a more contemporary look. However, the new graphics still pay homage to the original logo by integrating the “Lovelyz” text with soft, floral motifs.
F.T. Island recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a new logo, changing it from what fans had known for a decade. It’s a bittersweet goodbye to the iconic logo of 2007, but the new brushstroke logo has a very personal touch, and we think it’s a fitting graphic for their brand.
What's your favorite logo in K-pop? Do you want us to review more K-pop brands? Let us know on Twitter.