Outfit Party is not a band, but a musical collective of like-minded artists and friends. It is a blanket term for a group of bands working together in each other's endeavors. Based in Bremerton, Washington, this collective wanted to create an identity and promotion kit that they could send to record labels, in hopes of one of the projects taking a record deal.
In this digitally expedited world, information can be looked at, as well as passed over in the matter of seconds. Outfit Party wanted something tangible and out of the realm of digital matter to make their presence known in a unique way.
Concept sketches from the beginning stages
Working with Nicholas Klose, the founder of Outfit Party, we discussed a few options for their logo. Nick knew that he wanted it to look modern and professional, but with a subtle touch of humor. After thinking through a few ideas, our chosen concept landed on a party hat.
Why?
Above: Definition spread from the book included in the promotion kit.
The words, "outfit" and "party", by these definitions, are basically the same. The repetitive and redundant nature of the name is humorous in itself, and we thought that a party hat would further explore that humor, accentuating the other definition of a "party" as well. Incorporating the initials of Outfit Party, this concept was realized.
Above: Stages of refinement for the logo.
For the font, we paired a sans-serif font with a serif. We felt that the boldness of DIN gave headlines a bold and attentive feel, while Didot would contrast smoothly with an elegant and professional nature.
To further accentuate the idea of a party, we wanted to use a simple shape to become confetti. A simple, yet interesting enough shape that could be used in a pattern, or a large form to create interesting movement in a composition.
Above: Outfit Party Press Kit Box
The next task was to design and create the Outfit Party promotional press kit. The client and I decided that the press kit should be presented in an 10" x 10" box with supplemental materials that could promote the music collective in a recognizable way. We wanted to keep the design very minimal, only using the brand guide that we had created.
What is included in the box?
The box, when opened, includes a greeting card with a brief introduction. Under that card is a CD compilation of the bands that are a part of the music collectives. The intent is for the viewer to insert the CD and begin listening, while also continuing on to the next piece of the promotion kit.
Following this is a small booklet that gives information about Outfit Party. There are brief biographies of each band in the collective, as well as an about me. We wanted it to flow much like a brochure in book form. The client gave me creative freedom for the layouts, enabling me to understand what I could accomplish with the given branding elements. Using the confetti, there is interesting movement and shapes that come through. Working with two page spreads allowed for an exploration of connecting both pages together. At the end of the book, there is contact information.
Lastly, there is a business card at the bottom of the box, as well as a sticker.
