Dio, Dokken, Danzig: I grew up on metal—with quite a few eponymous band names in the mix—so when Christophe Szpajdel, “the Dark Lord of Logos,” was featured in a 2011 graphic design show at the Walker Art Center, I was entranced. I was blown away that curator Andrew Blauvelt, now director of the Cranbrook Museum of Art and someone I’d associated more with clean, Swiss design than dark and skeiny black-metal graphics, would include Szpajdel’s calligraphy. When interviewing the Belgian artist for the Walker Reader, I asked him a favor: could he do a metal logo for the Walker? He did, whipping out a sweet design—one that would later appear on Walker T-shirts, temporary tattoos, and tote bags—in a matter of days.

Fourteen months ago, during the peak of COVID-19, I lost my Walker job after 18 years, casualty of plans to eventually restructure the museum’s communications. I knew it would be a challenge finding a job during a global pandemic, so I reached out to Szpajdel: could I commission him to make a metal logo of my last name? It fit with some of my past investigations into the power of names (both place names and my own name), but more importantly, it just seemed kick-ass: while my musical tastes have diversified massively since eighth grade, it felt like an opportunity for some aggressive self-affirmation during difficult times. And how cool would it be to have my last name rendered in the oft-mimicked style Szpajdel has applied to logos for the likes of Enthroned, Emperor, and Vomit of Torture? As I have no intended use for this work, I gave him almost no direction: I’m into natural things (notably moss), and, given some difficult circumstances I’ve been working through, resiliency was on my mind. I love what he came up with.

Next up: an open call for bandmates?

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