John Mayer Design

Many know how I am a huge fan of John Mayer- but what I like about him isn't just his music, quick wit, humor, sarcasm, or charm and good looks. I absolutely love his design sense. I read somewhere that he designs a lot or even most of his own album art and merchandise. To start, his "JM" logo reminds me of a letter-letter combination I did sophomore year of college in my typography class with Chris Palacios. It is simple and classy, seen here on a keychain:


I don't know if he took any Swiss-style design classes in his tenure of education, but it seems like he knows what good design is... or at least his "in-house" designers do. Here are some of my favorite designs from his brand:
















I am very excited to see the brand develop for the new "Battle Studies" album. I assume he is the principal in the album artwork for this album since you cannot fully create the brand until you hear/understand/truly feel the essence of every track. Right now it looks more elegant/archaic/darker than his previous albums. "Room For Squares" was very pop-looking and youthful, and made him look like just another guy with a guitar. "Heavier Things" and "Continuum" are where the design really took off. "Heavier Things" had an intense cover, showcasing his tattoos.. maybe showing maturity/growth/change. "Continuum" was brilliant as to sell not just his image but his name and feel. John Mayer really became a BRAND. The gray and blue kept that soberness and calamity that the music owned. It wasn't a total departure design from "RFS" but the type held its own. The Mayercraft poster looks straight out of a How-To-Create-Your-Own-Swiss-Poster book. I appreciate the fact that his brand is true to himself and his art/music, and is classic. It is fantastic design.