In our research and conversations, there are two main theories that emerge regarding the reasoning behind the 13 points. We think many Deadheads would agree that this is true of the music of the Dead as well. For this reason, lightning bolts are symbolic of divine inspiration and intervention, of epiphanies and transformative experiences. In nature, there are few forces as powerful as a bolt of lightning, and culturally, humankind experienced massive transformation when we were able to harness the power of electricity. Lightning bolts are a powerful symbol, and concept. But honestly, we think the red, white, and blue patriotic rationale sticks a bit more. There are many theories about why the colors were chosen, the most common being the Dead’s deep ties to America and American culture - what better color palette to identify an American band than Red, White and Blue?!Īnother theory that we found (although we’re not sure if this was reason or coincidence), is that Owsley, in addition to being a sound engineer, was also an LSD Chemist, primarily known for his “brand” of LSD, the potent and extremely pure “Monterey Purple.” So, red and blue, with a little bit of “electricity”, and you’ve got purple (more theories about the hallucinatory tie-ins later). He teamed up with his friend, a graphic designer named Bob Thomas to make his vision a reality, bringing to life the 13-Point Lightning Bolt – dividing a circle filled with red on one side and blue on the other. Owsley had an idea for a mark, inspired by a sign he had seen on the road with the band. In 1969, the band was regularly playing bigger venues and with other acts, and sound engineer, Owsley “Bear” Stanley, realized that they needed a symbol to identify their equipment - something that would be easy to recognize and easy to replicate (they planned to use a stencil and spray paint to mark their gear). In the first few years of the Grateful Dead’s career, they played all sorts of shows and venues… from the legendary Acid Tests, to the streets of San Francisco, to the Monterey Pop Festival and beyond. We went through many rounds of renditions of our bolt before we finalized the design (we actually made and auctioned off a flag with some of our less than perfect bolts), and although we looked at MANY renditions of the 13-Point Bolt in the creation of our first product, we never quite sunk our teeth into the icon’s fascinating history… Well, we think it’s pretty much the most bad-ass and identifiable icon in the Dead’s repertoire of visual eye candy. When the company was still just a figment of our imagination, we dreamt of making a chrome bolt for the low-key deadhead. This symbol is quite possibly the most recognized of all the Grateful Dead logos, and it is particularly significant to Grateful Fred. The most logical place to begin is the classic 13-point bolt. You’ll find a ton of retro design elements, but also lots of fun typography and wordmarks! The illustrative and funky style that retro fonts are known for lends itself really well to graphic elements.Welcome to the first in a series where we explore the most recognizable symbols used to represent and promote the Grateful Dead! If you're not finding the exact font style you're looking for, try exploring the Elements tab. Not finding the retro Canva font style you had in mind?
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