Jan Werthwein's profile

Steel Mantis, the Epic Re-Branding

The second greatest fictional heavy metal band of all time, Steel Mantis was founded on October 31st, 2008. Inspired by early metal greats like Eudoxis and Thor, the band had big ambitions. Unfortunately, a small budget and a lack of Adobe Creative Cloud never allowed these titans of metal to get the branding they deserved. Now, in 2020, guitarist Steve St. Steel embarked on a journey to completely re-brand the entire marketing campaign. The resulting branding package is gritty, modern, and metal AF. 

Enjoy.​​​​​​​

A deep dive into everything we love about small venue concert flyers. Could you call this a study? 
Only if you're a poser.

(it's definitely a study.)​​​​​​​
- POST NO BILLS -
Icons need icons right? Right. But you are probably asking yourself, "How can we make it metal but also unified graphically with the overall style?" You find a lightning bolt in the negative space of the logo, and merge it with the S. That's how.
Like all great logos throughout history, this one was sketched at 3am while lying on the floor in my underwear.

Photocopy print paper baby! I was actually amazed at how cool a colour palette this stuff made. I know what you're thinking. A colour palette? For a thrash band? Damn right. I guess we were more of a prog band all along.
The Problem: Not enough fake band merchandise in your already cluttered and inaccessible closet.
The Solution: Steel Mantis.
This isn't the title of any section really. I just really like Black Sabbath and wanted to fit it into the project somehow. Seamless, right?
Steel Mantis would like to thank the following bands:
Wolfgang Puck’s Tears, Pantone 666, Florida Man, The Moist Towelettes, Adult Pipers, Henry Wankler, Tough Buttfair, Fair-Trade Violence, Empty Gift Bag, Cancel Culture Club, Sore Thumb, The Final-Finals, My First Rodeo, Kinda-Sorta, Dutch Oven, No Budget 4 Rebar, Creamy Mouthfeel, Mummified Durian, Robert Alda & The Supertrains, The Single-Use Plasticks, Czar Chasm, Death Boyardee, The Oddly Specifics, Expunger, The Congealed, Butt Dial, Pills N’ Coffee, Shimmering Fat, Zank Frappa, Num Lock, Green Bin Juice & KBYE

RIP Steve Hnatiuk, this tribute was for you! HUTZ!!
Steel Mantis, the Epic Re-Branding
Published:

Steel Mantis, the Epic Re-Branding

Published: