The question of which band first had their own logo is more complex than it might appear. Whilst bands had used distinctive visual identities before the 1960s, the concept of a carefully designed, standalone graphic mark belonging solely to the band was relatively undeveloped until The Beatles' drop-T logo emerged in April 1963. This moment proved significant because it established the idea that a rock band could have a visual identity of its own, beyond simply relying on its name, fundamentally changing how bands would present themselves going forward.

The Beatles' iconic logo was created at Ivor Arbiter's Drum City on Shaftesbury Avenue, when Ringo Starr and Brian Epstein visited to purchase a Ludwig drum kit and needed the band's name on the bass drum. Arbiter sketched the now-famous design featuring an oversized B and a T dropped below the baseline to emphasise the word "beat," which sign painter Eddie Stokes then painted onto the drum for £5, first appearing in May 1963. Whilst earlier bands like The Shadows had used distinctive typefaces, The Beatles' logo was the first fully realised piece of band branding, and groups including The Who, The Doors and The Velvet Underground soon followed. The concept was later elevated by The Rolling Stones in 1970, when Mick Jagger commissioned student John Pasche to create the iconic tongue and lips logo—an image so recognisable it required no band name and could be reproduced across all merchandise and media.