RESEARCH BOOK
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INTRODUCTION FIELD OF STUDY BRANDING FOCUS CASE STUDIES LITERARY REVIEW CONCLUSION PERSONAL REFLECTION BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDICES
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Introduction
For my final major project I have decided to produce a body of work that would encapsulate all my skills as a designer through the use of music branding. By creating this body of work I intend to highlight the relationship between graphics, music and branding as well as how they can all be used to create a strong marketing campaign.
a large role in the shaping of a brand’s identity and the audience that the brand attracts. With this in mind, I made the decision to produce an album as I also have knowledge on the production and distribution of music which I knew would be to my advantage, especially with this project. As well as this, I have prior experience working with independent music labels and artists to As a black designer and musician, produce both music and graphic work. I also wanted to produce work that would speak from my individual perspective. The reason for this being that I am an international student, born in the US, raised in Nigeria and currently living in London facing the same challenges, meaning that my perspective on them is unique to those around me who may not have experienced the world in such a way.
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In the world today, advertising plays a huge role in commerce and how products are sold to consumers, and within that is music. In advertising and branding today, music also plays
The main focus of my project is the album but it is not the only component that makes up this project, there were many other factors that had to be considered and much more content needed to be created in order to complete it as it was not to be delivered on only one platform. To create a solid and strong visual campaign to accompany the music, I needed to create various forms of graphic content to help create the identity behind the album and essentially its brand. In order to create a multi platform project I Had to do research on the current market as well as what is required of a music artist and his brand to deliver a strong campaign.
This book contains all research done in the process of creating my final major project; a multi-platform campaign for a musical body of work, also created by myself. The book includes all tests and experiments that led up to the final production submitted at the hand in. The main aim of this book is to provide a clear insight into my research process whilst making the project so as to give a more academic perspective on how I arrived at my final decisions. As well as this; it will also show where I got my creative inspirations from and how they inspire my creativity as an artist and designer.
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BRIEF
Project Title Final Major Project
Deliverables
Part A: Research Book (Print) / Design Journal (Invision) Part B: Research Book / Design Journal / Final Outcome
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The Final Major Project gives you the opportunity to demonstrate the fluency of your design and communication skills, and to examine a subject or theme in depth through a self determined and challenging assignment.
You will discuss and negotiate your area of your research with your tutor(s); subject to approval, you will produce a ‘Project Proposal’ that defines the research area and sets clear objectives. The analysis of your research work and the subsequent design brief or case study Your Final Major Project will will be presented to staff and stubenefit from your increased un- dents as a formal, verbal and visual derstanding of theoretical issues presentation. You will be assessed - how these inform and contex- on the research methods emtualise your practical work, your ployed, the depth of your research research skills and your creative/ findings, the quality of your analstrategic design abilities. Your Fi- ysis/ design strategy and the pronal Major Project may take a prac- fessional level of visual and verbal tical or theoretical direction and presentation techniques employed. you will need to demonstrate the professional level of your organisational skills, reflect on your practice and also think conceptually. Your choice of Final Major Project will be influenced by your career aspirations (and the expectations of your industry) or your own plans for further study (e.g. MA)
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FIELD OF STUDY 12
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BRANDING & IDENTITY
The field of study I chose to focus on for this project is branding and identity, music branding to be specific. A brand can be described as “A type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name.” (Lexico, 2020) which is exactly what I set out to do with my final outcome; create a product under my musical alias “BEAAUXX” and sell it to my audience.
This fascination is what became the main inspiration behind my final major project and its outcome. Seeing as the field I would like to specialise in I also felt it would be a good idea to produce content that would show my knowledge of the music industry as well as my knowledge of graphics. I knew that for this project to be successful I needed to do the necessary research into branding and The reason I chose this particular identity to be able to create an outcome field to explore for my project was that would accurately reflect that. because I find branding and identity to be the most interesting of all the fields within graphic design. The reason for this being that I am overly fascinated with the process of designing a product digitally and bringing it to life physically to be spread across the world over various platforms.
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With any field of study there are parameters and limits to which one can explore and create and with the field of branding and identity it is the same. Whilst researching and developing my outcome, I learned that the workings of a successful brand can be very complex if intended to be one with longevity.
For example; I did not consider who my target audience is for the album as prior to this I had been creating music and graphics for anyone willing to listen but I learned that a good brand is “ only truly successful when customers closely identify with the brand” (Gilani, 2020). With the main product of the brand being the album, I also learned about the advantages I had to incorporate something that and disadvantages of choosing this people would be able to relate to as field to investigate. To begin with, well as buy into, which is myself. the first thing and arguably the most important that I learned was that the In the field of music branding in the “The brand identity building process industry today, the artists themselves is complex.This is especially true for are the face of the brand, meaning organizations that offer a range of that I had to find a way to incorporate services and products.” (Gilani, 2020). myself into the brand somehow. The best way I thought to do this would This was important for me to learn be use myself as the face of the brand because when I had first decided on and front man behind the campaign my outcome, I did not anticipate the so as to link everything together different areas I had to cover in order similar to artists within the same field. to make my project a successful one.
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HISTORY OF BRANDING
The history of branding can be traced back 4,000 years to a medieval norweigan word “Brandr” which means “to burn”. This word was predominantly used to refer to the branding of livestock. The process of branding has evolved as time has passed to now include an array of different processes; the Old Norse word “brandr” or “to burn,” and refers to the practice of branding livestock, which dates back more than 4,000 years to the Indus Valley. Over the years, branding has evolved over the centuriesfrom farmers claiming their property, to artisans claiming credit for their work, to factories claiming their products, to companies claiming their products were better than others.
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Historically, the success of a brand has always been determined by whether or not the brand was able to create a solid identity. This identity is created through the brands content and how it is delivered. The most recognizable part of the brand, the logo, can be the make or break of a brand and can be what makes more people buy into the brand or dismiss it. The reason for this being that it is usually the first thing people see when looking for things to buy. Unlike many other areas of graphic communication, branding and identity combine all the essential aspects of graphic design and bring them to life through marketing and advertising.
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MUSIC
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BRANDING
While there have been a slew of dope clothing lines that have captivated the hip-hop audience, there are a few that have truly defined the hip-hop aesthetic.
flashy. Hip-Hop and clothing have always had a close relationship with each other, serving for countless trends and crazes in the culture and translating to millions of dollars for various high-end brands.
It’s long been believed that there’s a correlation between looking good and feeling good, hence there being no coincidence that wearing a new outfit for the first time is a special event of sorts for most people. For fashion heads, stepping out into the world after popping a few tags is one of the most exhilarating feelings you’ll ever feel, and the experience is as much about the process as it is the result. Some may take issue with flamboyance and materialism, but rap artists have been boasting about buying the most expensive brands since the earliest rap recordings.
The love affair between hip-hop and the fashion world truly blossoms when artists and moguls introduce their own clothing lines. The business of rap fashion revolutionized how rappers branded themselves and ushered in a new era of product placement. While there have been a slew of dope clothing lines that have captivated the hip-hop audience, there are a few that have truly defined the hip-hop aesthetic.
Having the latest fashions and being on trend has been an important part of urban culture and the power of branding is continuously wielded by an innumerable amount of companies, with their products becoming the uniform of the young and
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SUPREME 20
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Brands can point to skateboarding, the city they’re from, personal experiences, and movie stars from the past to source inspiration for their collections. But at the core of nearly every movement, there’s music. And few brands have taken inspiration from music history more than Supreme. The New York-based streetwear brand has been catching plenty of flack lately for the ugly legal situation with Leah McSweeney and MOB, but this week’s announcement of the 22
upcoming Wackies collab is a nice reminder that the brand is still leading the pack when it comes to fresh and unexpected ideas in streetwear. Over the years, Supreme has created numerous proper tributes to music’s paradigm shakers. Supreme has collaborated with rappers like Raekwon, RZA, and Three 6 Mafia, along with jazz and soul musicians Miles Davis, Otis Redding, and Isaac Hayes. The catalog of music collabs is deep and impressive, the designs are inspired and always informed by a knowledge 23
N.W.A
Spring, 2001 N.W.A. caused nothing short of panic and pandemonium in white America when it unleashed its rhymes that depicted inner city street reality. The group's hit single "Fuck tha Police" was depicted by Supreme as Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella were done up as charactertures— far less "scarier" than their real life selves.
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Raekwon
2005 - Guns, camo print, and Tickle Me Elmo? These were the perfect props used in Supreme's first "photo tee" that featured Raekwon and his bodyguard. No, that's not Ghostface. The photograph was shot by Kenneth Cappello, and it leaves us with one question: What's more classic, this tee or Only Built 4 Cuban Linx?
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2005 - Without RZA, the Wu-Tang Clan would have never been able to reclaim East Coast hip-hop’s dominance in the rap world from California’s G-funk reign. There’s sort of an obligation for Supreme to plaster the group’s leader’s mug across a T-shirt, and even on the cover of its book. Also, RZA looks extra cool with his fang-like fronts. If you claim yourself as an O.G. East Coast streetwear head, this tee is as essential to your swagger as Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers in your tape deck.
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Public Enemy
Spring/summer and fall/winter 2006 Before hip-hop became underground and political solely for the sake of liberal arts college students, Public Enemy scared the hell out of America. Supreme connected with Vans, New Era, and Starter for a collection that played off the rap group’s B-boy in a scope logo. We’ve seen A$AP Rocky wear the collection’s jacket, and while Harlem native’s rhymes don’t match the fury or educated wit of Chuck D’s, Supreme has been able to bridge generations— connecting emcees through its flavor of fashion. 30
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Prodigy for Supreme
Spring/summer 2011 Mobb Deep member Prodigy has had one of the most tumultuous rap careers of any New York City legend. From certified classic albums and humiliating beef with Jay-Z, to living with sickle-cell anemia and serving time in jail, it has been an up-and-down road for the renowned emcee. To celebrate his new-found freedom, Supreme hooked up with the Queensbridge representer regain his rep as one of New York City hip-hop culture’s most important figures, as his face was placed upon two awesome T-shirts. 32
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Bad Boy Records “Biggie” Collection
Fall/winter 2011 - What’s more New York than The Notorious B.I.G’s Ready to Die album? The rapper did put the entire East Coast on his back. It was only fitting that Supreme represented for its late hometown hero with a series of T-shirts that displayed the artwork from his seminal album. The shirts are awesome, but if you were able to score yourself one of the keychains, it doesn’t matter what car you drive—you’ll render attention every time you reach into your pocket.
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Three 6 Mafia for Supreme
Fall/winter 2012 One of the elements that differs streetwear from the rest of the fashion world is a tasteful touch of ratchetness. In fact, when Supreme collaborated with Memphis' Three 6 Mafia this past year, the party the brand hosted at New York Fashion Week didn't just bring Southern, lean-influenced hip-hop to the five boroughs—it made atendees realize why the group's "Tear Da Club Up '97" was actually banned from clubs. Amidst all this, group members DJ Paul and Juicy J graced the front of a dope T-shirt and also showed love to their label, Hypnotize Minds. 36
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“I’m doing pretty hood in my pink polo. ” - Tyler Mitchell
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In 1994, Raekwon wore the Polo Snow Beach Pullover in the video for WuTang’s “Can It All Be So Simple.” As XXL notes in its oral history of Polo in hip-hop, “the Snow Beach instantly [became] an iconic piece of hip-hop history and a holy grail for Lo heads worldwide, routinely selling for more than $2,000 dollars on eBay today.” Ten years after that, Kanye West was wearing a Polo Bear sweater for the cover shoot for The College Dropout. “But I’m doing pretty good as far as geniuses go, and I’m doing pretty hood in my pink polo,” he rapped on the track “Barry Bonds.”
The old-school Polo aesthetic also lives on in contemporary hip-hop brands. The bright, primary colors, the bold patterns, the charmingly kitschy graphics, the sporty-preppy bent—all of this is at the heart of high-profile streetwear labels like Supreme and Only NY. In the course of arguing that Polo is one of the greatest streetwear brands of all time, a Highsnobiety piece from last year points out that “you can probably thank the brand with the pony for Supreme’s love of clean-
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cut oxfords, color-blocked outerwear, rugby tops and collegiate branding.” You can probably also thank it for Only’s ‘80s-style nods to sport, or for that brand’s jauntily nautical inclinations (seagulls, whales, fish, sailboats, and stripes, often in loud colors). “They challenged classism by wearing Polo—taking something that wasn’t meant for them and making it their own.” These days, the vintage Polo aesthetic reaches to places as far-flung as Japan and New Zealand. It can also still be found at the New England college parties that Ralph surely once fantasized about. But those parties, it can safely be said, are now set to hip-hop soundtracks. Putting all the pieces together, you’ve got Andover grads copying Kanye West, who inherited a tradition from black and Hispanic kids from Brownsville, who two decades ago stole clothes designed for Andover grads.
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Chapter
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f o c u s
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For my project, the area of music branding I decided to focus on is Underground music.
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MUSIC BRANDING
“Timberland hosts rap gigs. Princess nokia makes films for maybelline. And red bull is the new school of rock. Have brand partnerships destroyed counterculture? Or are they all that’s keeping it alive?”
Branding has evolved over the years and has been through many different stages. We have seen the concept of branding grow from simple logo design to the total representation embodiment of a company in many different industries. Much of the consumer’s money went to “branded goods”. Thus, the urge to create brands for products to become recognizable and to outshine their competitors began. The goal quickly became to create “a cohesive image created by a unified, consistent, professional visual communication program”. In recent years, the digital communications revolution has affected how brands are
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changing. A brand must now consider the effects of social media such as (but not limited to) Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Consumers can be connected to a brand even before they themselves experience it—they live vicariously through other people’s opinions and judgments to decide whether or not they want to support that brand. Yelp, for example, lets people write reviews on different restaurants, venues, retail stores, etc. These reviews are helpful for people who are unfamiliar with an area and help them pick a destination; usually the higher rated places have the strongest brands.
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Timberland hosts rap gigs. Princess Nokia makes films for Maybelline. And Red Bull is the new school of rock. Have brand partnerships destroyed counterculture? Or are they all that’s keeping it alive? Is it possible, in 2017, to sell out? Not so long ago, cosying up to big business was considered the gravest sin an underground artist could commit – but these days new and leftfield musicians seem to spend their days hoovering up cash provided by brands while fans barely bat an eyelid. It’s not simply a case of moral bankruptcy, but rather literal bankruptcy: new and independent artists have had their potential income slashed by streaming and have been forced to mine money from an alternative source.
artist associates. “Working with top 10 artists can be a bit of a false economy,” he explains, “because the awareness and engagement that the brand gets off the back of it is kind of transient.” That seems logical when you consider the fact that artist-brand partnerships exist in a climate of guilt. Fans listen to artists for free on streaming sites such as Spotify and YouTube, where advertising is a reminder that they aren’t willing to actually buy the music – and that it has to be funded somehow. Yet this complicity is a cause for concern: advertising may not have totally undermined the underground just yet, but it’s certainly reshaping alternative music in its own hollow image. Words
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Aroesti
In other words, in order to cut through the onslaught of obvious online advertising, companies are attempting to siphon off some of the exciting cool that alternative music radiates by posing as tastemakers and champions of the underground. Collaborating with more obscure musicians, says Steven Appleyard of Boiler Room, a streaming site that hosts events worldwide with underground musicians from Hudson Mohawke to Nina Kraviz, ensures the brand doesn’t get overshadowed by its
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Chapter
05
case Studies
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ABOUT MY
CASE STUDIES
The artists I have chosen for my case studies are artists that I feel as though have an unorthodox or “untraditional� approach to how they market themselves as musicians. Each artist has a completely different brand and identity. My focus for this area of research is the black artists who have made or are making strides in their career with or without the help of the internet and digital media platforms. I have also chosen these artists as they have all in one way or another inspired my final outcome.
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Lil’ Yachty
Diversifying beyond music has become a new way for artist to capitalize off of the value they create. Music is definitely a broad launch pad for content creators, Lil Yachty has shown us that having a strong brand can be the difference between success and super-stardom. Leveraging your brand can build awareness and pay off where you choose to focus your energy (live performances, merchandise, modeling, etc.) and the 22-year old Atlanta native is showing no signs of slowing down.
For Lil Yachty, it was mainly the color red. Red naturally draws attention, this plays well with advertising and being distinctive. This wave of music included a sense of simplicity, good energy and an overall mood. Going viral is mostly about being able to relate to people on a basic human level. People like to have fun and enjoy their experiences.
For any artist or music professional, it’s important to stand out. Your brand is unique to you, so staying true to yourself is always a huge advantage. Your image can also be enhanced in different areas, this can be anything from visuals to aesthetics.
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As an artist, if you can get people to relate your music to overall experiences, that forms a deep psychological connection that is hard to break. In a business sense, collaborating with Influencers can make you a more effective brand and strengthen what you have already built. These are relationships moving forward that can turn your brand into an overall powerhouse. Let’s take a deeper dive into Lil Yachty’s relationship with A$AP Rocky and Ian Connor.
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Being friends and having these relationships in place can pay major dividends down the line. Fashion and music go hand-in-hand and they have already built huge followings standing alone. The goal has always been to start tyour journey together, network, build support and solidify brand partnerships. The support of shared fan bases is what can make an artists go viral.
Lil Yachty’s debut album “Teenage Emotions” is the best-marketed rap album in recent memory. That it will sell copies at all is a credit to Yachty and his label QC’s shrewd media handling. His real reward for this strategy came before the album was even released, through lucrative marketing deals: Nautica, Target & Sprite.
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Lil Yachty’s brand, encompasses boats. It’s relatable, speaks to an audience and relates back to his overall brand ‘The Sailing Team”. He also makes frequent use of the colour red the same colour of his iconic red braids.
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Yachty realized early on how to position himself to win. He seemingly translated his overnight SoundCloud buzz into an opportunity to model for Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 3 show in 2016. He also signed on to become the creative director of Nautica. He could go cardboard, sell nothing in the first week, and still bask in his early career successes thus far thanks to a series of clever marketing and music decisions.
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“Jay Z’s classic line—“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man”—couldn’t better describe Yachty, who is undoubtedly one of the music industry’s fastest rising brands.”
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Coach K and Pee are not your standard record industry players, but more akin to No Limit’s Master P and Cash Money’s Baby and Slim: savvy businessmen who shaped their labels with grassroots hustling — updated for the internet age.
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Never in one place for long — and certainly never behind a desk — the duo zipped from the studio to a street-side video shoot, radio station to radio station, strip club to nightclub, treated along the way with the reverence bestowed upon local celebrities and kingmakers.
“Other labels have these A & Rs, C.E.O.s and chairmen, sitting in an office looking on the internet at numbers on SoundCloud and Spotify — they’re just into the analytics,” Pee, 38, said. “That’s part of it. But if I’m being honest — and it might sound ignorant — I don’t own a computer. I’m really out here in it.”
Record label: Quality Control Records
Quality Control’s Kevin Lee, known as Coach K (Left), and Pee (Right), mentor the up-and-coming hip-hop artists that record for their label
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FRANK OCEAN
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Christopher Edwin Breaux, also known as Frank Ocean is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and photographer. Frank Ocean is widely recognised for his idiosyncratic musical style, and as part of the hiphop collective Odd Future. ‘Channel Orange’ was his first debut studio album, reaching number two on the Billboard 200, promoting three of his singles; ‘Thinkin Bout You’, ‘Pyramids’, and ‘Sweet Life’. He has also collaborated with other artists such as A$AP Rocky, Quavo and Playboi Carti.
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Currently, the most notorious example of an artist that is keeping their fans waiting is R&B artist Frank Ocean. Ocean has hinted at the release of his sophomore album, “Boys Don’t Cry” for a couple years now, with the album still not materializing. Most recently, he launched a livestream that included an Apple Music logo, which was followed by rumors of an August 5th release date. This date came and went, with no album materializing.
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Despite disappointment that the album has not been released yet, his fans’ anticipation and hype for the album has continued to grow, which shows that it’s possible to build excitement by keeping people waiting. However, keeping fans or customers waiting for something they are excited for also has a shelf life.
If you keep them waiting too long, it is incredibly unlikely that your product can possibly live up to the hype that has built up, or even worse, that they will still be interested, by the time of release. Hype and anticipation is great, but it also can set up expectations that are impossible to meet. It’s better to undersell something and blow people away when it comes out, than it is to hype something up that then disappoints upon launch.
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After years of near starvation, fans of the singer suddenly find themselves flush with radio shows to listen to, (controversial) club nights to attend, new singles to stream, exclusive 7� vinyls to order, expensive t-shirts to wear, posters to hang, and printed square silk scarves to drape over their faces. The tide, it appears, has finally come crashing in. It started last fall. In November 2018, Ocean unlocked his previously private Instagram account. “Finsta no more!� he seemed to proclaim, greeting the world shirtless in his inaugural public post and sending a fervent pocket of the Internet into a frenzy. Just a few months later, he appeared on the cover of this very magazine, participating in a rare (at the time, at least) on the record interview. The spring brought another interview, the summer yet another, and the late summer, for good measure, one more.
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XXXTENTACION
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Xxxtentacion has always been a long time inspiration of mine in my branding as everything he does himself. I am also inspired by the fact that he does not abide by the rules of any practice in which he onvolved himself in and chose his own way over the “normal� way in every situation.
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Members Only, Vol. 3, although officially credited to XXXTENTACION, is the third compilation by South Florida collective Members Only and the first in the series to be released as an album. It was released earlier than intended due to X’s email account being unexpectedly hacked.
the hand of Members Only leader, XXXTENTACION being pictured on the bottom left corner.
The cover art for Members Only Volume 3 is far more complex than its past two releases, The first Members Only volume cover being only a light shade of pink, and the second is the outline of a crown etched onto the skin of an unknown person. This cover takes the formatting of a newspaper-like image with
In addition to the presence of X’s mugshot on the cover, various members such as $ki Mask the Slump God, Wifisfuneral, Kid Trunks, Craig Xen, Danny Towers, and KillStation are featured. The cover for Members Only Vol 3 was previewed in X’s tweet on April 16, 2017.
Snippets of an article on him by HotNewHipHop are scattered around the cover, specifically a quote by him which appears three times, “What is real will prosper.”
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L I L “I just wana be everybody’s everything I want too much from people but then I don’t want anything from them at the same time u feel me I don’t let people help me but I need help but not when I have my pills but that’s temporary one day maybe I won’t die young and I’ll be happy? What is happy I always have happiness for like 10 seconds and then it’s gone. I’m getting so tired of this.” 78
PEEP 79
The official plot of the film is: Creating a unique mix of punk, emo and trap, Lil Peep was set to bring a new musical genre to the mainstream when he died of a drug overdose at just 21 years old. From the streets of Long Beach and Los Angeles to studios in London and sold out tours in Russia, the artist born Gustav Ahr touched countless lives through his words, his sound and his very being. During a sweeping journey from the depths of the underground to a meteoric rise through the music industry, Gus wrestled with what it meant to be Lil Peep and in turn, what Lil Peep meant to so many. EVERYBODY’S EVERYTHING is an intimate, humanistic portrait that seeks to understand an artist who attempted to be all things to all people. The official plot of the film is: Creating a unique mix of punk, emo and trap, Lil Peep was set to bring a new musical genre to the mainstream when he died of a drug overdose at just 21 years old. From the streets of Long Beach and Los Angeles to studios in London and sold out tours in Russia, the artist born Gustav Ahr touched countless lives through his words, his sound and his very being. During a sweeping journey from the depths of the underground to a meteoric rise through the music industry, Gus wrestled with what it meant to be Lil Peep and in turn, what Lil Peep meant to so many. EVERYBODY’S EVERYTHING is an intimate, humanistic portrait that seeks to understand an artist who attempted to be all things to all people.
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The title of the film and soundtrack was likely inspired by an Instagram post made by Lil Peep on November 14th, 2017. The caption starting with the words “I just wana be Everybody’s Everything”.
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L I T E R A RY R E V I E W
Over the course of history, the use of stereotypes have become an avenue through which people can judge and oppress others who are different to them. The social class most responsible for this are white caucasians who used racial stereotypes as a means to continue to oppress newly freed slaves. The stereotypes created by these biases became so common that they are frequently used in the media to preserve the aforementioned traditional form of oppression. According to an article written by Mcleod (2015), “A stereotype is “...a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.”(Cardwell 1996 cited in McLeod 2015).
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McLeod (2015) also states that “Researchers have found that stereotypes exist of different races, cultures or ethnic groups’’ but the most negative ones depicted in visual media have been found to be about people of colour. Although there exist racial stereotypes for every race, the main purpose of racial stereotypes is the oppression and categorization of people not of caucassian descent. I argue that racial stereotypes persist within every area of visual culture during this time. As a result of this; various images and visual content have been produced for the sole purpose of encouraging people to adopt racist viewpoints and develop biases but I will only make use
of a few examples to support my argument. Using examples such as; Fig. 1 (Upton, B., 1895) I will analyse how the incorporation of racial stereotypes into print media has affected other areas of visual culture and day to day life. Mcleod (2015) argues that “By stereotyping we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have.
Fig. 1. Upton, B., The Adventures Of Two Dutch Dolls And a Golliwog (1895)
Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes (i.e. “them” and “us” mentality) which leads to in-groups and outgroups” which is an argument that I strongly agree with.
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During the 1930’s this “them” and “us mentality” that Mcleod (2015) mentions was strongly enforced due to the world war that created the opportunity for the racially biased to manipulate what seemed like innocent patriotism into racist advertisements and propaganda that supported their beliefs. Contrary to this, Mcleod (2015) mentions that “Some psychologists argue that it is a “natural” aspect of human behaviour, which can be seen to benefit each group because it helps in the long-run to identify with one’s own ethnic group and so find protection and promote the safety and success of the group.There is no evidence for this view, however, and many writers argue that it is merely a way of justifying racist attitudes and behaviours” (McLeod, 2015).
people could express their racial biases through graphic communication, theatre and song were the only forms of practice that involved any kind of racial expression. America was the leading country in the exploitation of black people and was also the country accredited for the innovation of the practice Blackface.
Clark (2019) defines “Blackface” as a form of entertainment developed by Thomas Rice who “After reportedly traveling to the South and observing slaves, Rice developed a black stage character called “Jim Crow” in 1830. With quick dance moves, an exaggerated African-American vernacular and buffoonish behavior, Rice founded a new genre of racialized song and dance— blackface minstrel shows—which became central This argument that stereotyping is a “natural aspect of to American entertainment in the North and South”. human behaviour” is not only an attempt to justify racist ideals but is also an excuse for the systematic degradation He also goes on to say that “Although the exact of entire races by the more powerful white masses. moment when blackface originated isn’t known, Graphic design has played an instrumental role in its roots date back to centuries-old European the way we as human beings communicate and view theatrical productions, most famously, Shakespeare’s society today. Posters, advertisements, infographics Othello.” (Clark, 2019) and over time the stereotypes and art in general have all been used as a way to perpetuated by practices such as blackface have communicate a particular message or idea and in this developed and shaped the way black people have been case; agenda to a particular audience. In the early 19th portrayed in visual culture in the early 1900 ‘s. White Century, graphics and print media began to advance performers would “darken their skin with shoe polish, in both their technology and use in everyday life to greasepaint or burnt cork and paint on enlarged lips the point that it was a means of communication, and and other exaggerated features” (Clark, 2019) in an for many governments it was an opportunity to reach attempt to emulate images of stereotypical characters. out to the public without having to do it directly. The countries that are most known for their open The most popular victims of racial stereotyping in use of racial stereotypes in visual culture are; The the media produced in any first or second world United States, Germany and The United Kingdom, country between the years 1930 to 1950 were the three of the most powerful countries at the time. black community. Black people and those known Each of the countries had their own unique way as “colored”, such as those of mixed heritage, have of demeaning the black people who lived in them been portrayed negatively in visual culture from as but yet they all still of their depictions are based early as the beginning of visual culture itself. Before on very similar, if not the same, stereotypes.
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“You cannot turn on a television, glance through a magazine or watch a movie without being bombarded by racial stereotypes” (Smith 2004:1) and these racial stereotypes have affected the way that black people are viewed and treated in society to this day. “Instead of an entertaining character, the stereotype becomes an example for the viewer to compare actual people they come into contact with.” (Smith 2004:18) Stereotypes like the “coon” allowed for white america to gain a lot of power (Smith 2004:30) over African Americans by “presenting the negro as amusement object and black buffoon” (Bogle 1974:7 cited in Smith 2004:39). This overarching stereotype resulted in and was further pushed when the actor Stepin Fetchit made his way into the spotlight in the 1930’s by playing the role of the “black buffoon” (Bogle 1974:7 cited in Smith 2004:39) in a number of racist films. “Stepin Fetchit was an evolution of a later construction, the “coon” who undermined his white oppressors by denying his labor and cooperation through an act of defiance that
included the appearance of being lazy and stupid.” (Hopwood, 1990). This “coon” stereotype was developed with the abolition of slavery and was a direct result of racial tension between the white slavers and the newly freed slaves. Due to this, white people no longer had any actual control over the blacks and so they found other ways to do so, this led to Blackface which, not only “served as a starting point to a history of race domination with image” (Smith, A.J., 2004: 30) but also became a new avenue for white people to assert their dominance over black people without taking direct responsibility for their actions.
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CONCLUSION
In conclusion, having undergone the process of researching various brands, artists and albums, I have been able to create a body of work that I feel encapsulates the main concepts of what I aimed to communicate. Through visual and theoretical research of other artists and brands I was able to learn more about how to position my brand in the context of design. Music branding is not new to me as a designer and during my years as a student of graphic design I have been involved in the creation of various forms of promotional content for musicians. Despite this, I still had to do this research to gain a better understanding of how to properly deliver my project in a way that would allow it to be accepted within both the musical and graphic world.
see what they did to get to where they got to where they did and how. Artists like Frank ocean, for example, have a more minimalist approach to branding and identity where he provides little to no content which in turn creates a mysterious image that makes people want more. The reason for this is his originality, I have found that artists who stick to a consistent brand aesthetic are either the most successful or the most popular as originality is something that is respected in any industry.
The research done in the process of designing this project has been crucial to the development of my final outcome. I learned how to navigate the world of media as a designer and musician and how to use both sets of skills to my advantage and further I started with the intention of creating my career as a creative professional. something that would simply show my skills as a designer in order to complete I feel as though I am justified in saying the brief but as I did more research, my that my final outcome reflects all the plans changed and I became motivated research that has been done in a way to create something that would not that shows an understanding of what only show my skills but that would has been learned. As well as this, allow me to share those skills with my final outcome offers a different people in different ways. The fact that perspective on the innovation of new my project could be delivered on all methods of practice in the music and platforms also means that it has the graphic industries. It also shows the opportunity to reach a lot more people. evolution of branding from the initial Platforms like; Instagram, Twitter and introduction of the practice hundreds facebook vastly increase the chances of years ago to now, where creating of interaction and in turn increase the content can take less than a minute. amount of listeners the album would get which is what it is created to do. In my case studies it can be seen where I got some of my inspiration and ideas from and how I was influenced by others in the music industry. It was extremely important for me whilst conceptualising my outcome to look at other artists to
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It is a strong belief of mine that with any desired outcome there are always unforeseen circumstances that might slow down, or in some cases, stop the process.
Another design decision which I thought turned out successfully was the decision to have the main image within a border and have certain elements overlap and cross that border to show both control and the lack of it as the viewer analyses the image. Unlike the design process there are other areas of the process which I found to be challenging such as creating a website.
With regard to my final outcome, there are many things that I felt as though were successful and unsuccessful and other aspects that I feel as though could have been developed had I been able to use the facilities that were available to me. Another idea I had that I had that did not make it to the final stages was the Due to the Corona or COVID-19 virus, idea to release the album on vinyls. everything had to be locked down This was not made possible due to which meant that the university and its the COVID-19 virus as previously facilities became unavailable. Despite mentioned, business had to close down this, I did not allow this unforeseen which meant that I could no longer circumstance to stop the production have the physical element of the project of my work as it still needed to be I had initially intended to incorporate so done. I feel as though I have been as to broaden the scope of the project. able to deliver a strong project that shows my understanding of branding Although this plan did not come to and identity within a design context. fruition, I still went ahead to design the vinyls in order to show that I The parts of the project that I felt were had intended to do it which I feel most successful were the designing as though is very important with a process. Whilst designing the outcome, project like this as there can be so it was not difficult for me to develop many little details that can be lost. a concept that I wanted as I already had prior knowledge and experience Overall I feel as though the project has to my advantage. For the cover of my been very successful and I would only album I wanted to create an image that change a very small number of minute would both attract and intrigue the details to the project had I some time viewer which I have done. Using strong to work on it. This being said, I am colours such as black and red together happy with my final outcome, I am also also help the image to stand out from a perfectionist and a believer in the idea the stereotypical album cover of a that artwork is never really finished, photograph with some text written on it. one just runs out of ideas to add to it.
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PERSONAL
REFLECTION
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BIBLIOGRAPHY INTRODUCTION
CASE STUDIES
brand definition. 2020 [online] Lexico Powered by Oxford. At: https://www. lexico.com/definition/brand (Accessed 03/ 03/2020)
Members Only 3 https://genius.com/albums/Xxxtentacion/Xxxtentacion-presents-members-only-vol-3
Gilani, N. (2020) The Disadvantages of Brand Identity At: https://smallbusiness. chron.com/disadvantages-brand-identity-24599.html (Accessed 20/03/2020)
Everybody’s Everything https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lil-peep-everybodys-everything/
HISTORY 25 Influential HipHop Clothing Brands https://www.vibe.com/photos/25-influential-hip-hop-clothing-brands-streetwear
Everybody’s Everything https://genius.com/albums/Lil-peep/Everybodys-everything How Lil Yachty Built A Brand That’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop https://genius.com/a/inside-how-lil-yachty-built-a-brand-thats-bigger-than-hiphop
Supreme Collaborations https://www.complex.com/style/2013/06/supreme-collaborations-music-history/
7 Ways Lil Yachty Went Viral & Built A Brand https://medium.com/swlh/7-ways-lil-yachty-went-viral-built-a-brand482ec6a82f12#:~:text=The%20marketing%20genius%20of,and%20embraced%20the%20meme%20era.&text=His%20ability%20to%20connect%20 with,like%20Sprite%2C%20Target%20and%20Nautica.
Ralph Lauren History https://www.esquire.com/style/a47568/hip-hop-polo-ralph-lauren-history/
Frank Ocean Is Finally Throwing His Hat Into The Ring https://www.gq.com/story/frank-ocean-is-finally-throwing-his-hat-into-the-ring
FOCUS
Where Are You, Frank? How to Build and Market Hype Like Frank Ocean https://www.business.com/articles/where-are-you-frank-how-to-build-and-market-hype-like-frank-ocean-not-guns-n-roses/ Lil’ Wayne - Tha Carter V https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lil-wayne-tha-carter-v/
How Brands Bought Out Underground Music https://www.theguardian.com/music/ng-interactive/2017/oct/16/no-alternativehow-brands-bought-out-underground-music-timberland-red-bull
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APPENDICES LITerary REVIEW McLeod, S. A. (2015) Stereotypes. At: https://www.simplypsychology.org/katzbraly.html (Accessed 15/01/2020) Clark, A. (2019) How the History of Blackface Is Rooted in Racism At: https:// www.history.com/news/blackface-history-racism-origins (Accessed: 29/11/2019) Smith, A.J., 2004. A historical analysis of blackface in the media and its effects on contemporary African American stereotypes, University of the Pacific. Hopwood, J. (1990) Stepin Fetchit Biography. At: https://www.imdb.com/name/ nm0275297/bio (Accessed 19/01/2020)
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Fig. 1. Upton, B. (1895) The Adventures Of Two Dutch Dolls [Book] At: https://shapero.com/shop/ florence-k-upton-bertha-upton-the-adventures-oftwo-dutch-dolls-first-edition-99804/ (Accessed 16/01/2020)
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