Role:
Brand Identity
Brand Strategy
Design System
Art Direction
extratwopercentRADIO - Brand Identity
After the successful launch of extratwopercentRECORDS in partnership with CashApp, the label is gearing up to launch their online radio platform extratwopercentRADIO. this will house the labels internationally-minded club music offerings that appeals to energetic audiences alike for digital and physcial application like their events series ’SUNSET HOURS.’
I partnered with the label to craft a distinct identity and visual system for their online radio while fitting it into their larger brand architecture. It was important the ‘RADIO’ brand stood out from existing online radio platforms for listeners to understand the energetic soundscape based in late 90s / early 00s culture that runs through the artist rosters sound.
We looked at typeforms from that time period, and saw an opportunity in the thick strokes found in Y2K typeforms. Since community dialogue and the ‘🌞’ emoji is a big part of the ‘RECORDS’ brand with the direct phone, we wanted to wanted to sew iconography into the brand that could easily translate over a text message. We led with prominent type, the sun glyph and introducuded a ring for the suns path for visual continuity with the ‘RECORDS’ brand. We took the existing sun and streamlined details in the face for readability at smaller sizes by increasing negative space within the face, rounding the 21 rays, and losing the inner fill.
The ‘RADIO’ typeform is based on the decisive motion found in the Univers typeform, which is also the base for their live event series ‘SUNSET HOURS.’
We Then set out to create a fluid design system to set tone-of-voice, crafted both a display logo and wordmark logo for flexibility in scale to digital and physical platforms like signage, as well as merchandise.
extratwopercentRECORDS - Brand Identity
In 2020, founder Chiquelo Smith partnered with CashApp to launch his vision of extratwopercentRECORDS founded on the ethos of Sir Terence Conran: "Many products are demonstrably good, but those with that extra two per cent have a magic ingredient that places them in another category altogether - it is the difference between something that is perfectly acceptable and something that is so special that everybody wants to own it."
As we were building the brand from the ground up, I teased the brand out through a series of binary questions that naturally sifted our North Star out: We needed a brand to live within the extra 2% of details on its intended place. Pulling on Adolf’s Loos philosophy on ornamentation and Duchamps ‘Readymade’ philosophy, we ended up with a simple wordmark that read ‘RECORDS’ from most distances, but at intimate viewing angles revealed 'extratwopercent,’ our augmentation of common vernacular.
Role:
Brand Identity
Interaction Design
Motion Design
Over the next few months we set out applying our marks to merchandise to support our initial release of eight artist associated with the label at the time including hats, shirts, hoodies, and an exclusive pair of custom extratwopercentRECORDS AF1 Nike’s we also seeded out to 30 influencers and gave 30 away.
