How Graphic Design Plays a Role in the Music Industry
“Design is a handshake; it causes a snap judgment on your identity. Good design speaks loud, but bad design screams much louder. It’s what you represent yourself with and one of the first impressions you’ll make on your potential fans — aside from your music itself.” - Matthew Sebert
When thinking about the music industry, I bet you don’t always think about graphic designers. You think of the singer, band, producer, manager, songwriter, etc. However, graphic designers play a larger role in the music industry than you may realize.
Why graphic design is important
When you think of your favorite artist, what do you see? Their logo? The poster hanging in your room? The t-shirt hanging in your closet? Maybe even the cover of your favorite album? These visuals were all created by graphic designers and were meticulously crafted to build the musician’s brand. One of the first steps in a musician's career is to focus on this part of their branding. MI College of Contemporary Music’s article The Importance of Graphic Design in the Music Industry states, “A fundamental part of building a brand as an artist is the aesthetic elements that represent them. During the early stages of a musician’s career, they’ll need to establish themselves as a brand and decide who they want to be in the music industry.” The article also discusses how when having a strong brand you are more recognizable in public, “When you see their promotional content or social media posts, you can always tell by the stylistic choices what belongs to who.”
MI also points out some components that are vital to a musician’s career that a graphic designer is responsible for,
“Website Design
T-Shirt and Apparel
Social Media Content
Album Cover Art
Event Posters
Promotional Content
YouTube and Videography Visuals”
Having a cohesive visual brand that is authentic to the individual artist is a very important factor into the artists’ success.
It’s not just a t-shirt
Merchandise and t-shirts are now prize possessions of fans. People may think they are just articles of clothing, but to fans they are different. They are exclusive items that represent their love for their favorite artist. They get to wear these pieces in public and show everyone who they support. It gives them a sense of connection to the artist, no matter how big they are. Forbes’ article, The New Role Merchandise Plays When Creating A Musician’s Brand, talks about the benefits from the artist perspective to sell merchandise, “‘It’s about extending an artist’s brand through a global program of different consumer products. It’s important to learn from other industries where they have tapped ideas around merchandising being a prominent marketing vehicle and being able to help build your brand,’ Vlasic explained to me during a recent phone conversation.” This extension of the brand, “has now become a way for artists to reach out and touch their most ardent fans, especially when they aren’t on tour.”
The design of the merchandise is also important, Forbes explains, “Simply slapping a logo on a plain black t-shirt is fine, but so much more can be done with the same kind of product. Whether an artist wants to convey the image of nonchalance or high art, it can be done with design, color choice, fabric selection and so on.” Fans want to be proud of the merchandise they are wearing. The artist wants their brand to be powerful and putting out merchandise with good design will cause more listeners to want to make a purchase.
Logo design
Of course, with every brand, logos and colors are very important. They represent who you are as a professional, performer, etc. There are so many different genres in the music industry and you can use your brand to represent what music you release. Inkbot Design’s article, The Importance of Graphic Designers in the Music Industry, states, “Differentiating genres can be done by using specific colour schemes, typography, and imagery, and this is also known for strengthening the visibility and recognition of an individual artist’s brand.”
Online presence
There are so many musicians fighting for the spotlight, especially online. Graphic design is a way to differentiate yourself from the competition. First, a website needs to be created. Inkbot Design’s article, The Importance of Graphic Designers in the Music Industry, points out that, “Every musician and band should have a website where they can relay important information regarding tour dates, artist news, and all of their available music [...] While a good website requires the expertise of a web developer, the artistic vision of a graphic designer is just as essential.” Creating these visual components, “widens the accessibility of a musician’s music. Successful musicians are always looking for new and powerful ways to attract a wider audience, and graphic design is one of the best ways of doing so, by far.” Having graphics that stand out, grabs the audience’s attention and tells them who you are.
Hi, I’m Lauren and welcome to my website! This is where I share my graphic design work and blog posts!
