161024 BTS 3rd Muster Official Poster

Yep! /u/callmewhatyewwant explained it well & succinctly :)

The BTS universe is already rich with army/military references; i.e. ARMY fans, MUSTER (official word for troop gathering), a bomb lightstick. However, visually they haven't settled on something that 'they can get recognized' by - to quote the above.

A quick example would be Exo. I'm not a fan of them, but I've come across enough things online and in real life where I recognize their branding. E.g. Their albums all feature the polygon in different ways: the lost planet, exact, exodus. They created a logo system that was dynamic and could adapt to different concepts/eras as you can see here. On top of that, some of their MVs integrate the symbol in different ways, e.g. overdose.

Another brief example would be Big Bang. They developed a strong visual system after the MADE comeback. The distressed Western look, coupled with the 5 iconic lines, signifies BB to me now. This also makes for great merchandising (YG knows his stuff!)

You can also see the inconsistency in bangtan's album designs if you compare it with other artists: e.g. BTS Album Covers vs EXO Album Covers vs Justin Bieber Album Covers vs Coldplay Album Covers. I love all their albums individually, but they change very drastically with every concept. The most consistent vibe so far would be the HYYH series, but that's because it's a trilogy. And in terms of posters, many are great standalone pieces like I mentioned before, but sort of lack the BTS unity; i.e. Festa poster, 3rd Muster poster, Summer Package.

My guess is that because they started small they probably had different design teams (both in-house and external studios) working on different things at all times. But I have faith - especially after their mind-blowing HYYH series and the masterpiece that was the BST MV - that they'll slowly build a strong visual identity that will do these 7 dorks justice :)

Also wow this went way longer than I had planned to write. lol. Gotta go back to work now.

/r/bangtan Thread Parent Link - twitter.com