Smash Hits magazine logos (1978, 1980, 1982, 1985)
The cover of the Smash Hits prototype issue from September 1978 featured Plastic Bertrand and a logo in Antique Olive Nord Italic with dramatic drop shadow. The official No. 1 from November 1978 credits Ross George with the design.
The British pop music magazine Smash Hits ran from 1978 to 2006. From Smash Hits Remembered:
Smash Hits was founded in 1978 by Nick Logan, who had previously edited the New Musical Express during one of its most creative periods and went on to create ’80s fashion bible The Face. […] The backbone of the magazine in its early years, and one of its major early selling points, was the publication of Top 20 song lyrics. […] During this period, appearing on the cover of Smash Hits was a sign that an act had finally ‘arrived’. […] For most of the 1980s and early 1990s it was the first choice magazine for many teenagers, at its peak selling half a million copies every bi-weekly issue. A record breaking issue in 1989, featuring Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, sold more than a million copies!
This post documents the first four versions of the magazine’s logo, spanning the publication’s most influential years — from italic Antique Olive Nord (1978) to equally heavy Futura-like caps (1980), to the iconic combination of Allegro and Volta (1982), and finally the angular condensed letterforms of Grecian (1985) which remained in use until September 2000.
All images courtesy of Brian McCloskey of Like Punk Never Happened, the definitive Smash Hits archive. He adds a new issue every fortnight, always on the thirtieth anniversary of the original publication date.
Antique Olive had to make way for shaded caps similar to Futura Extra Bold (but with vertical terminals on the ‘S’, paired with a handwritten “Smash”) from Vol. 2, No. 20 (October 2, 1980) on. Steve Bush was the magazine’s Design Editor at that time. Cover: Gary Numan by Dick Wallis/Rocktography.
The Allegro/Volta cover logo was introduced with Vol. 4, No. 21 from October 14, 1982. It had already appeared in the interior of the previous issue. Design Editor: Steve Bush. Design: David Bostock, Kimberley Leston. Cover: Culture Club by Eric Watson.
Vol 7, No. 16 from August 14, 1985 was the last one to feature this type combination.
Cover: Billy Idol by Retna.
The logo in Grecian was introduced in Vol. 7 No. 17 (August 28, 1985), and would last for 15 years. Editor: Steve Bush. Assistant Editor (Design): David Bostock. Design: Vici MacDonald. Cover: Simon le Bon and Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran, by Denis O’Regan/Idols.
3 Comments on “Smash Hits magazine logos (1978, 1980, 1982, 1985)”
As mentioned in the article, the design of the first issue is credited to “Ross George”. According to Pop Life: Inside Smash Hits Australia 1984–2007, this was a pseudonym of Steve Bush, though. He later became the magazine’s fifth editor, and was responsible for all logo versions, see “The people who brought you Smash Hits” on the If You Were There blog.
In an interview conducted by Stephen Hill (non-Flash version hosted by Michael Mouse), Vici MacDonald, who was a designer (1984–85) and art editor (1986–87) at Smash Hits, comments on the magazine’s logos:
I see Gill Sans in the second issue from October 1980.
“JOHN TRAVOLTA” is ITC Pioneer
“10 PLASTIC BERTRAND’S” is Premier Shaded
When I get time I find the name of the other fonts as I do recognise some of them.
You got those right, Luke! But this entry is just about the logos.