Foreign/Cult/Classic

Context

The Southport Music Box Corporation (Music Box) exists to curating a diverse repertoire of films and television from around the world and connect people with shared passion in film. It is a symbol of Chicago’s go-to venue for independent, foreign, cult, and classic films. I was tasked to articulate a brand identity redesign proposal to fit its character as a Chicago historical landmark.

Trademark design:
design a trademark informed by the brand platform

creative implementation:
‍practice investigative and identity application of a brand

Challenge

How to give new life to the trademark while maintaining systemic continuity with its brand extensions?

Process

design

reflection

Rebranding goals

1.
Promise an experience more than entertainment

2.
Evoke a sense of community

3.
Blend contemporary into historical past

Current Look & Branding

Currently, Music Box Corporation has a static logo series for all of its divisions, however, the brand architecture of the theatre division is different from the film division. The purpose of this rebrand is to clarify the difference of these two divisions and to propose a unique, tailored brand for Music Box Theatre.

organizational research

After reading about the history of Music Box, I organized the research into three categories: company, customer and competitions. I documented my research into outcomes such as brand matrixes, competitive audits and personas. They aided me in the creation of the rebranding and informed the rationale of my design decisions.

rapid design iterations

During the process of sketching, I switched from a more figurative approach to a more typographic approach. The name “Music Box” itself has a figurative meaning, therefore it would be misleading if I use another figurative element to represent the a different figurative element.

Mark and brand guideline

Application

takeaway

Foreign/Cult/Classic is a unique project because I was tasked to design a trademark and cohesive identity system without any external support like I did in team projects. My biggest takeaway of this project is the extensive investigation and exhaustive refinement along the way. By using the brand platform as a "North Star", I kept my design relatable to the brand's purpose, character and position. During the research and creative process of this project, I developed a working habit of rapid iterations, and being critical while comparing and evaluating each of my draft. Working through the process of funneling and finalizing, I learned to refine and explore at the same time to ensure that my design touched on as many approaches as possible.