Visual Identity Design, Branding, Case Study, Graphic Design
By Encer, a division of Oyemaja
Introduction
Splay is a music streaming platform that offers a vast collection of songs, playlists, and podcasts to its users. With Africa as its primary target market, the startup is faced with the challenge of crafting a compelling and recognizable brand identity design that would set them apart from their competitors (such as spotify, youtube music, audiomack, boomplay etc) and resonate with their target audience.
To solve this challenge, Splay has approached our agency to create a brand identity design that connects with their customers and captures the spirit of their brand.
Research and Analysis
We started by gaining insights into the music streaming industry, observed past and current design trends, examined Splay’s target audience and stakeholders and examined the brand identities of Splay’s competitors. A few things stand out including vibrant colors and strikingly bold choice of type, which informed our decisions. Targeting youths in Africa, we settled on a bold handwritten font and color pallete ranging from blue to purple to communicate boldness, community and pride. We made use of imagery that depicts a diverse range of music lovers in African communities.
Concept Development
After gathering insights, we selected a range of options across colours, typography and image samples, including sketches of logo concepts, and presented them to the client as well as a closed set of observers, in order to allow them participate actively in the design choices of the brand.
The concept that stood is the design which is inspired by sound waves due to its dynamic nature and contextual adaptability.
The set included adapted uses of the logo samples across their software user interfaces to show the most versatile of the options. Upon several fine-tuning, we arrived at a fresh and modern design that is scalable across several applications and platforms, whether print or digital, and which captures the heart of its users and is well-received by the clients.
Visual Identity:
Logo:
The logo we designed for Splay Music is a fluid-like illustration that depicts a flow of music notes and pitches from a high note to a low note. The typography is a bold handwritten font that depicts cheerfulness and poise
Color Palette:
Splay’s color palter is bold and vibrant, ranging from blue to purple and instances of pink. They evoke feelings of calmness, pride, community and freshness
Imagery:
To bring users closers to the splay community and create a feeling of oneness with the system, the artist and the platform, we create illustrations inspired by private theatres, musicals and cinemas. To make every song feel like a private concert, artistes are depicted as singing privately and specially for listeners.
Typography:
We have selected the akaDylan Plain font with little modifications as primary type; and poppins as secondary. The combination instills cheer and freshness.
We needed ad copies to capture the essence of Splay’s Imagery depicting closeness between users and the artistes/platform. We settled on “Every song feels like a concert just for you” after sampling and modifying the results.
Imagery capturing the copies
Application
We designed templates and guidelines to be used consistently across Splay’s marketing materials, including print banners, social media banners, email signatures etc with the logo prominently features. We also designed templates and guides for Splay’s merchandises such as t-shirts, jotters, stickers, etc.
Showing the versatility of the logo, we adapted the logo to Splay’s audio meter design.
We also adapted the logo to the play bar
We also created some fun animations.
Encer,
The design division of Oyemaja.
Case Study for Splay