Gordy Records 45 RPM vinyl

One of the “big three” Motown labels, Gordy Records was founded in March 1962, essentially a successor to the short-lived Miracle Records label. Its label design was consistently a deep, rich purple color. The record’s slogan was grammatically confused continuously—“It’s what’s in the grooves that count”. This is found small in scale, located in the perimeter of the circle in the logo mark.

The complementary color combination of purple and yellow was iconic in comparison to the other record label designs of its time and still stands alone today. These bold colors are of the highest contrast—“opposites attract”. Complementary colors are especially pleasing to the eye because of different types of photoreceptor cells, which contribute to color vision and perception of different types of light in the color spectrum. The logomark contains bold, dominant sans-serif typography. Gordy was one of only two remaining Motown subsidiaries when it closed its doors at the start of 1987 and merged with Motown Records.