Branding Identity Redesign
This was one of the funnest & most engaging assignments during my studies at The Art Institute of Cincinnati. Instructed by the brilliant mind of Professor Matthew Baughn in the fall of 2013, also Art Director @ Deskey, an agency on East 8th & Main Street in downtown Cincinnati, began our journey into the world of Advanced Branding Design theory, practices & strategies.
Spotify is a widely used music streaming service now, but at the time of this project in 2013, the service was just gaining traction in the US having launched in 2011. Spotify was founded in Sweden by Daniel Ek, and Martin Lorentzon in 2006. Currently in 2025 Spotify is one of the largest music & podcast streaming providers with over 713 million active users. In early 2024 The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast signed a multi-year $250 Million deal with Spotify.
I chose to rebrand Spotify because I loved the service, and I felt that there were opportunities to expand on their current brand mark, messaging & marketing strategies. I immediately got to work updating their drain cover looking brand mark & forming the rationale statement. After a few rounds of tinkering with radio signal ideas I worked out a funky signal icon, found a clean complimentary rounded sans serif typeface, and began delving into messaging & playful marketing applications.
The wealth of knowledge Matthew graciously shared with us during this 15 week course of advanced branding have been foundational for me, and I use these strategies whenever I'm working with clients on branding projects.
