I was approached by Houston,TX based alternative rock band, Rogues Among Us to design a comprehensive identity that would not only brand and represent the group itself, but tell an ongoing narrative throughout their musical journey.


“Our music confronts those gray areas of morality that many people struggle with. Sometimes we become conflicted between our own inner truth and desires, and society’s projections of what things should be. When that conflict becomes too great, there’s an inevitable reaction--sometimes a volatile one. It’s at this point we deject everything society pushes upon us, and “go rogue”. (Mark Benavides, Lead Singer/Keys)


Very early on in the exploration phase, the idea of using a sigil was discussed as a simple but poignant method of representing the band while telling this continued narrative. Before long, we were running with the crazy notion that “The Rogues” were a secret collective of people who had chosen to escape confines of society’s increasingly watchful eye, and instead gaze back at it from the shadows.


“Our debut EP is entitled “The Watcher”, and it’s really just an observation of humanity dealing with it’s own duality--good and evil, right and wrong. Sometimes those lines become muddy, and we do things that are morally questionable. So the rogues, they’re just watching us fight with ourselves and the world around us. Not judging, just observing and documenting...for now” says Mark.


Lead Guitarist, Robert Nesby adds, “As far as The Watcher goes, I had come up with a short statement that I feel describes the theme we tend to use;"


"Those that watch from the shadows live to tell the tales of the dead."


And so it was, a secret society watching us from the shadows. Rogues Among Us.


The narrative of a secret society and the use of sigils proved to be a rich landscape from which to develop a variety of content that would collectively convey the band’s identity. Early logo drafts explored triangular symbols representing duality, and a cloaked figure wielding a dagger. ​​


In the end, I returned to the original idea of a sigil, opting for a simple and clean design with a little backstory symbolism. For the logo, the use of triangles and circles together seemed to be a solid fit; three points representing the relationship between inner self, outer self, and society, with the circle representing the ever-ongoing conflict that links the three. The center-most triangle and circle together is the rogue eye that watches this continuing cycle of our human struggle.


It was necessary that the logo be simple enough so that it would remain clear and recognizable throughout various size scales. The result accomplished this superbly, paving the way for a multitude of merchandise possibilities.


The typeface was the next beast to tackle; I was adamant about having something custom that would not only compliment the logo, but really sell what Rogues Among Us is really about at the end of the day: a badass rock band.


I had initially played with lettering styles that were almost cryptic looking in nature, really matching the aesthetic of the sigil. After various sketches, and even a few digital iterations, I was not yet convinced; the name just didn’t pop. The lettering needed to make a statement.


Diving deep into heavier block-based typography, I went back to the drawing board. What emerged, indeed accomplished the two primary goals in mind: bold and sharp (we’re here to rock) while incorporating the sigil itself as part of the band’s name. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to compliment the logo: