Miami: Unplugged Rebrand - Graphic Design Case Study
Miami: Unplugged was one of my first projects in the field of graphic design. The brand serves as a music production group comprised of students at the University of Miami, helmed by my good friend Dudley Merriam. While he had the audio and video production completely handled, the old Miami Unplugged logo left much to be desired.
When I was watching his videos and this logo popped up, I knew I could help him improve his logo, without completely overhauling the brand. I quickly booted up Adobe Illustrator and got to work.
I started with selecting a font that matched the tone of his video and audio production. His sets are cozy, scattered with string lights, rugs, and tapestries to make the place look as warm and friendly as possible. Keeping that vibe in mind, I felt the font I land on could serve as both a smooth, flowing script as well as having a neon-sign-look to it.
While I loved this script on its own, it still need to feel like a music brand. This is where I got inspiration from the original logo and incorporated it in a new way. The next addition to the logo was a guitar basin shape around the logo. To add to the neon sign feel, I broke the basin shape into segments which also helped the logo feel more whole. Finally, to drive home the acoustic nature of the brand, I added a headphone jack to the end of the “U” to give the logo a physically unplugged appearance.
The final touches were settling on the colors for the logo and shrinking it down to an icon for use on social media. The “M” and the “U” mesh together really well, creating a useful icon for profile pictures that maintains the headphone jack on the end.
Dudley and I went back and forth between a color palette with that used cooler pinks, blues, and purples that reflected the “Miami Vice” color scheme and the warmer colors we ended up choosing. We felt that the soft reds, oranges, and greens felt more like the brand he had been building, and with that choice the logo was finished.
Miami: Unplugged was a wonderful brand to work with, and Dudley and I continue to collaborate creatively. In addition to the logos and palette shown in this study, I assembled a style guide as well to keep branding consistent. If you’re interested in hearing more about the project or style guide, feel free to reach out to me. Also, check out what Miami: Unplugged is up to down below.
