record label — identity
these are placeholder case studies — real projects replace them before launch
the problem
An independent label releasing across vinyl, digital, and merch had no consistent mark. Every sleeve was designed by whoever made the record, which was charming for one release and unreadable across forty.
the approach
The constraint that shaped everything: the identity had to be applied by other people, often at thumbnail size, often by an artist rather than a designer. So it is a system of rules rather than a set of files — one mark, two type sizes, and a fixed position that works on a sleeve and a 60-pixel avatar.
Archive photography was retouched and colour-matched so releases from different decades sit together in a catalogue without looking restored.
the result
A written system the label applies itself, with the studio consulted only on edge cases. Twelve releases in, the catalogue reads as one label.