HIPSTER RUNOFF

Building your brand is a series of design challenges. One popular way to extend your brand's presence is promoting a weekly event at a local club, complete with the best new music and local photographers.

However, it's a challenge to effectively brand your weekly night, both in-person and on-the-internet. One of the most successful branding tools is the SIGN BY THE DJ BOOTH. If the sign is a visual success, it will enhance the night's photographs and leave a mark in the party goers subconsciouses.

The sign is also important to enable the online spectator to establish a sense of location in a flood of party pic thumbnails. Designing a party experience is about creating a sustainable image that will lift the collective spirits of your local alternative community.

The Sign By The DJ Booth is an undervalued, but very important part of any blog/promoter/record label/DJ's brand.

Which of these signs gives a better sense of the brand?

Sign Analysis: DIM MAK

[Cobrasnake]
DIM MAK's sign is a design failure. It would take the average Middle American spectator who orders Cobrasnake tshirts by mail at least a year to figure out what the sign even says. Additionally, the typeface is somewhat underwhelming, but maybe I'm just not a big fan of the handdrawn DFA-style logos. If I were Dim Mak, I'd definitely put a team of 5 to 10 interns on assignment to redesign their sign behind the DJ.

If I had to put my money on what the new sign will look like, I'd bet on the DOODLE aesthetic, which was deployed for Steve Aoki's hit album "Steve Aoki's Pillowface and his Airplane Chronicles."

FINAL GRADE: D+

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Sign Analysis: I HEART COMIX

[RedSlurpee]
If I were I Heart Comix, I'd consider a move of the sign to behind the DJ booth. Not only will it showcase the entire sign in more pictures, it will hopefully minimize the camera flash's interaction with the glossy textured wall. I HEART COMIX's logo is a design success that deserves to be showcased. As opposed to a doodled logo, IHEARTCOMIX chose to deconstruct what is widely considered 'the perfect font,' Helvetica, by disjointing the alignment and the letter spacing of the type.

The corner space and counter are difficult spaces to approach, but they do offer more creative opportunities for expression than Cinespace's 'Infamous Brick Wall.' I would look to create another sign, since the corner space allows for two walls of coverage. While I think it is a good idea to wrap the counter with something, I'd consider a different sign, material, or lighting installation.

It's also important to value your sign. Duct tape can devalue your product, so I'd encourage a trip to a local Home Depot to speak with a representative about mounting options. While your sign may have been well-crafted on-screen in Adobe Illustrator, the context and presentation are a vital part of the sign's perception.

FINAL GRADE: B (with opportunity for extra credit)

Are there any more signs that have caught your eye? Do you have any feedback for popular record industry and nightlife brands about the perception of their product? The blogosphere enables consumers to join together, and give feedback to our favourite businesses.

HIPSTER RUNOFF: The Music Blog That Evaluates the Complete Consumer Experience in the Modern Music Industry

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