Branding and creative direction for 17o1 Records, Yale’s only record label dedicated to the production, promotion and performance of original student music. Website developed by Evan Kirkiles through Design at Yale.
In Fall 2023, my friends and I resurrected 17o1 Records from an eight-year hiatus. I redesigned the 17o1 identity by taking inspiration from the world of amateur music itself — think punk fanzines, the flyers you hand-draw for your friend’s grungy basement party and music posters plastered all over a dorm wall. The challenge was to use old-school, lo-fi methods of creating and disseminating to create an intimate and ephemeral listening experience, and yet craft a (somewhat) practical design strategy well-adapted to the age of social media and the shoestring budget that student clubs run on. We’re really just a bunch of scrappy college students running a scrappy record label, and I wanted our brand identity to embrace that.
As Head of Creative, I design for the record label itself. I also lead a team of nine designers, photographers and social media managers who mostly work one-on-one with our signed artists.
In Fall 2023, my friends and I resurrected 17o1 Records from an eight-year hiatus. I redesigned the 17o1 identity by taking inspiration from the world of amateur music itself — think punk fanzines, the flyers you hand-draw for your friend’s grungy basement party and music posters plastered all over a dorm wall. The challenge was to use old-school, lo-fi methods of creating and disseminating to create an intimate and ephemeral listening experience, and yet craft a (somewhat) practical design strategy well-adapted to the age of social media and the shoestring budget that student clubs run on. We’re really just a bunch of scrappy college students running a scrappy record label, and I wanted our brand identity to embrace that.
As Head of Creative, I design for the record label itself. I also lead a team of nine designers, photographers and social media managers who mostly work one-on-one with our signed artists.
IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT OUR DIGITAL EXPERIENCES RETAINED THE TACTILITY, INTIMACY AND SCRAPPINESSS OF A HAND-DRAWN POSTER.
POST(ER) ARCHIVE. I HAND-DRAW THESE ON LETTER-SIZE PAPER AND SCAN THEM IN TO MAKE OUR INSTAGRAM POSTS - NO DIGITAL BRUSHES ALLOWED!
WOODY’S WINGS SPONSORSHIP CAMPAIGN.
WE HELD A LAUNCH CONCERT IN A FRIEND’S BACKYARD! WITH OVER 500 GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE, WE EVENTUALLY GOT SHUT DOWN BY THE COPS BECAUSE OF NOISE COMPLAINTS.
