The Process

This process commenced with intensive consultation to define the requirements & scope of the project, followed by contextual and visual investigations, creation of personas & stakeholder mapping, ideation & prototyping leading to the application of the brand identity across the range of previously mentioned outputs.

Initial consultation with Rohan allowed us to explore & understand the core values and goals of the ROLLA experience.

Gaining insight into Rohan’s experience of the Perth house music industry helped to direct research towards artists building exciting and engaging brands. Defining the target audience for ROLLA & brainstorming the type of experiences he hoped to create was a crucial first step to inform a human-centered approach to research and decision making. Regular consultation with Rohan throughout the project was important to ensure that his voice became that of the brand in order to deliver a highly personal brand identity that could be maintained beyond handover of the project.

An empathy driven approach was taken to carry out contextual research

Taking time to understand the context in which ROLLA is situated allowed us to break expectations and provide experiences which would set ROLLA apart from industry members & make his brand more accessible. Visual surveys of events & artists as well as interviews with his target audience uncovered stereotypes that this new brand would strive to challenge as well as elements it would adopt to stay relevant.

Visual investigations aimed at capturing the physical & visceral sensations of a ROLLA experience

A visual investigation was conducted to identify a direction to move with for the brand identity. The mood and feel were built off Rohan’s inspiration of  90’s dance party, grunge aesthetics. The resulting findings lent themselves to a fun, groovy, edgy & a little underground visual representation that drew on hazy memories captured in the warm glow of film photos & typography warped with motion and light.

Solidification of core brand values helped to guide design decisions

Compiling a Brand Identity Overview helped to map out character, personality, culture & values, experiences, visual identity relationships and sensory associations for ROLLA. Personifying the brand in this way created a clear vision that informed design decisions & ensured outputs were consistent with the goals & essence of the brand.

Time was invested into learning about the needs, preferences & patterns of key stakeholders

Defining key stakeholders & mapping the way they interact with ROLLA informed the creation of personas which were used to guide key design decisions. Running persona scenarios aided in further understanding the process of interacting with ROLLA from a target audience point of view. The insights gained from this step in the design process lead to a final decision on the mode of design outputs and brand touchpoints that would most effective in delivering the desired brand experience. This included business collateral, mix covers, social media assets, promotional & merchandising material  through which to roll out the brand identity.

With regular consultation and application of research findings, the brand came to life

Ideation involved experimentation with three areas of visual interest identified through visual investigations & stakeholder research; geometric shape, warping & distortion, and integration of script. In order to align with the brand vision the most suitable of these was prototyped further leading to the refinement of a final brand identity characterised by bold punchy type, warm tones, grainy textures and play between shape & layers.

The brand identity was applied across range of collateral to roll out the brand in such a way that would engage key stakeholders

Social Media Platforms: branding was applied across the social media suite in order to present a professional cohesive image and instill confidence in prospective clients. Coherence also benefited new listeners attempting to navigate across platforms.

Business collateral: a professional suite of business stationery including business cards and invoices presented a professional front whilst injecting the playful and approachable nature of the ROLLA through colloquial language and unexpected form.

Stickers & T-shirts: branded stickers and t-shirts provided an opportunity for ROLLA to create personal connections when distributing at events whilst they also doubled as a promotional tool.

Housebound Mix Covers & Poster: creating culturally relevant applications of the brand to music releases helped to build personal connection with listeners, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic when shared experiences kept audiences together while apart.

The range of photographic content used to bring the vision to life was produced by Rohan D’Souza, Sarah Cole-Bowen and myself.

The Points of Learning

With COVID-19 restrictions setting in two weeks into the project, this process was a lesson in patience, adaptability & perseverance. I learnt it was crucial to be open & adaptable to change.

The unforseen impact of COVID-19 meant that the arts industry in Perth was practically shut-down overnight. I was lucky enough to have a client in Rohan who remained committed to the project. Consequently, our grand plans for creating promotional material for live shows & enhancing live experiences had to shift in a more digital direction and focus on making building connections through online brand presence.