The Rolling Stones' Tongue and Lips Logo: Origin and Designer

The world’s most famous rock logo almost didn’t happen. In 1970, Mick Jagger wanted a new identity for the band’s upcoming album Sticky Fingers and went to a young art student named John Pasche, who was just 24 at the time. Jagger paid him just £50 for the design.

Pasche later said the inspiration came directly from Mick Jagger’s mouth and lips, but also from the Hindu goddess Kali, whose tongue is often shown protruding. The result was that iconic tongue-and-lips silhouette. Over the years it became so synonymous with the Stones that it outsells even the band’s music when printed on merch.