Who drew the Metallica logo
Turner Duckworth, the design studio that worked with Metallica for over a decade, credits lead singer James Hetfield with drawing the original logo. Brand New, the logo review site by UnderConsideration, says the same in its 2008 post on the band's Death Magnetic branding. No typeface is named behind it. The heavy capitals with the long, sharp points on the M and the A were drawn for the band, not typed.
Evidence for this attribution ↓No paid font selected
Free alternatives
Compare the actual letterforms with the same text. These are editorial alternatives, not fonts attributed to Metallica.
Free alternative
Archivo Black
Loading font preview…
Regular · Latin specimen
A heavy, wide grotesque with flat ends, close to the weight and width of the middle letters in METALLICA. It has no spikes, so you add the pointed M and A yourself.
View fontFree alternative
Russo One
Loading font preview…
Regular · Latin specimen
A bold sans with squared curves and a hard, mechanical feel. Its letters are rounder at the corners than the logo's sharp cuts.
View fontFree alternative
Anton
Loading font preview…
Regular · Latin specimen
A very heavy condensed sans that gives the same dark, solid block of capitals. It is much narrower than the logo, so the word looks taller and tighter.
View fontThe logo's versions over time
The original logo first appeared on the band's business card in the 1980s, Loudwire reports. Around the 1996 album Load the band switched to a different logo, the same article says. Brand New describes the logos used from 1995 to 2003 and from 2003 to 2008 as departures from the original. For Death Magnetic in 2008, Turner Duckworth reworked the classic logo into a cleaner version and created a matching typographic style for the album.
Evidence for this attribution ↓How to get the look
Start with a heavy, wide sans in capitals, such as Archivo Black or Russo One. Set the word tight, then draw the first and last letters by hand: stretch the outer strokes of the M and the A into long, thin spikes that point down and out. Use solid black or white, with no outline. Do not copy the Metallica logo itself, which is a band trademark.
Common questions
What font is the Metallica logo?
None. The logo is lettering drawn by James Hetfield and redrawn by Turner Duckworth in 2008. Fan-made fonts copy its look, but the band has never released a font.
Who designed the Metallica logo?
James Hetfield drew the original logo, according to Turner Duckworth and Brand New. Turner Duckworth redrew it for Death Magnetic in 2008.
Can I make my band logo look like Metallica's?
You can borrow the general style, heavy capitals with spiked end letters, for your own name. Do not copy the Metallica logo or name, which are the band's trademarks.
Sources & evidence
Editorial review completed November 10, 2026.
- Turner Duckworth — Metallica
Design studio
- Brand New (UnderConsideration) — Metallica, the Brand (2008)
Design publication
- Loudwire — Metallica among the best band logos
Music publication