Parental Advisory Logo

parental advisory logoParental Advisory Logo PNG

The official Parental Advisory logo hasn’t changed that much since its introduction in the late 1980s, while the earlier warning labels had a completely different design.

Meaning and history

Parental advisory Logo history

The Parents Music Resource Center was created in spring of 1985. Its founders were several influential Washington women, including Mary Gore, who later became the Second Lady of the United States. The PAL logo was adopted by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1985 and is still not obligatory. In the UK, it was adopted in 2011.

1980s – 2001

Parental Advisory Logo 1980s

Before the “Parental Advisory Label Program” actually started working, there existed other versions of warning labels. For instance, some music albums were released with a grey circular logotype containing the following text: “Warning. Tone of this record unsuitable for minors.” This label was widely used during the 1980s.

1990 – 2001

Parental Advisory Logo 1990

In 1990, the warning labels went through a complete overhaul. From now on, they have always featured the words “Parental Advisory.” However, there was a difference between the older and the current versions.

The 1990 label read: “Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics.” The text was given in three lines. The first and the last lines were black with white letters, while the second line contained black lettering on the white background. The lettering could be given in varying typefaces. Typically, the label was supposed to be placed on the lower right corner of the album cover.

1994 – TodayParental Advisory logo

In 1994, the label was updated. The word “Lyrics” was replaced by “Content.” The overall design of the logotype remained unchanged. It can go either with a bold black frame or without one. Although there are standards for the Parental Advisory emblem, they do not forbid subtle variations as to the shape of the design elements and their placing, so one can encounter quite a few versions of the emblem.

Parental Advisory symbol

Interestingly enough, the labels are called stickers, as originally they were stuck outside of the cases. Today, though, they are printed as part of both physical and digital artwork for albums.

emblem Parental Advisory


Font Parental Advisory Logo

The Parental Advisory logo versions vary a lot in terms of typeface. Typically, it is a clear, perfectly legible font without any unusual details.


Color Parental Advisory Logo

Since 1990, the PAL logo has been featuring only two colors: black and white. Some of the earlier warning labels also used other colors (for instance, grey).