Depeche Mode & De/Vision cover art and logos, Original & modern synthpop

Depeche Mode “Violator” (1991)                         De/Vision “Unversed in Love” (1995)

Modern synthpop from the late 80s onwards is often seen as a watered down version of the original late 70s to early 80s synthpop, that has been steadily acquiring more of a high art status over the decades. Though unintentionally, these album sleeves by the two crucial bands of genuine and modern synthpop illustrate this difference beautifully – it’s a like a noble blood red rose compared to a simple camomile. 

But to be fair, De/Vision and those responsible for the design of their artworks were far, far ahead of Depeche Mode in their use of geometric shapes as letters.

De/Vision's early logo from the early 1990s, the right angle is for "D", the lower angle is for "V"

Depeche Mode's "Delta Machine" (2013) logo, the left triangle is for "D",  the joint triangles are for "M"