Ransom Note is an online music, arts and culture magazine.

Ransom Note also run a record label, record store, organise events, curate music programmes and deliver brand partnerships.

With such a varied offering, Ransom Note identified confusion in the brand's communication and brought us on board to help.

The key objectives for working together included:

• Clarify and establish a strong, consistent identity for Ransom Note
• Establish how sub-brands can communicate independently while being connected to the core brand
• Unite and develop the brand visually across social media, website, print, records and all communication channels
• Create new branded assets, which are easy to use by Ransom Note's in-house team

Part of our challenge was to retain the character of the brand which the team had built up organically while introducing a new level of coherence and consideration.

Elements were highlighted by the team as being integral to the brand including the globe icon logo, the dollar stroke S of their typographic logo and the tone of voice so these elements were integrated.

Introducing a brand typeface retained the human tone, while offering more flexibility and continuity. All branded communications from bold record sleeve artwork, to large-scale dynamic posters through to small detailed social media posts could be connected.

Through in-depth research and workshops with the Ransom Note team we dug into the core of what the brand is all about:

• Ransom Note is a community
• Ransom Note should feel approachable
• Ransom Note can be sarcastic
• Ransom Note is knowledgeable
• Ransom Note is genuine

“The Private Eye of dance music”
“Electronic music with personality.”

All design and creative work was then informed by this research.

Once the visual language and identity had been established, the brand assets designed include:

• Record label visual direction and graphic design
• Record label releases
• Record label social media
• Parties and events posters, fliers & social media templates

Working together offered Ransom Note's team clarity on the brand's current communication, identified areas to improve and offered a complete strategy, creative direction and identity for moving forward.

Merchandise is now being sold to music lovers across the world and some elements are in use across Ransom Note's platforms and channels. Some were unfortunately not used but the templates are in the safe hands of Ransom Note's in-house team.