Future. Electronic. Music.

    Roles


  • Logo Design
  • Art Direction

    Deliverables


  • Logo

    Tools


  • Figma
  • Adobe CS
  • Sketch
  • 99 Designs

Overview

Crafting a logo.

The logo creation journey for Josh Lacoste was part of a design contest I entered on the platform 99Designs. Out of 80 competing designs, mine was ultimately selected as the winning design.

Problem

From music to visuals.

I was attracted to this project because of its unique challenge: how can a muscial style be converted into a logo? Josh is a future house electronic DJ based in Tokyo. In the project brief, he listed a few DJs that his audience listens to. With my headphones on, this gave me the initial direction for the project.

Solution

A unique logo for a new musician.

The final design channels to energy and emotion of house music. As an added bonus, the logo is easily adaptable to video, making it a dynamic asset for a new DJ.

Research

Looking to other artists

A musician's logo is unique in that it needs to stand in the background of the artist's music. The logo shouldn't overpower their music, but instead should be a symbol for what the listener can expect. I looked at musicians that Josh pointed to in his brief: Odesza, Bonobo, Kygo, and other electronic artists. All of their logos had a few themes in common, such as:

  • an architectural or geometric element;
  • subtle fonts;
  • and a minimal style that isn't overly distracting.

Creative Brainstorm

Getting initial thoughts out

At this point in the design process it was time to get all of my ideas onto the computer. After looking at other logos, I began playing with different forms of Josh's name. I knew he would want something unique, so I really pushed myself to think creatively and think outside of the box.

The handover

Prepping the deliverables for the client.

Out of 80 competing designs, my design was selected by the DJ. I also highlighted the potential for this logo to be used for video productions during his sets. This dynamic logo is able to adapt to a wide array of media.

Conclusion

What did I learn?

An important lesson I learned during this contest was not giving up when you have an inclination. I almost gave up on this contest and didn't submit, but I had a feeling that I knew what the client wanted. Being able to see my competitor's designs, I thought they misunderstood the project brief.

Let's talk design.