Design and illustration studio of Nathan McDonald: branding specialist and Certified StoryBrand Guide
Design and illustration studio of Nathan McDonald: branding specialist and Certified StoryBrand Guide
Logo design and visual identity system for The Music Box in Rockford, Illinois. Collaboration by Paxcurio Studio and Aaron Branding.
Kelly Steward and Miles Nielsen were opening Rockford's first true listening room, but they were unsure how to create a brand that would communicate what made their venue different from the loud bars and background-music venues in the area. Working closely with them, I helped develop a visual identity that spoke directly to discerning listeners—creating an immediate sense of belonging for the right audience. The result exceeded their expectations: within months of opening, they were regularly selling out shows, and some super fans have even gotten tattoos of the logo!
This project was created in collaboration with Aaron Johnson.
Modern brands need flexible design systems to apply their visual identity consistently at various sizes. We created primary and alternative versions of The Music Box logo to meet that need.
Along with the logo design, we provided concepts to guide their in-house team in designing collateral such as menus and the website.
The core colors for The Music Box were based on Kelly's interior design vision of "emerald and gold" to evoke many of the iconic venues she's performed at over the years. From there, the rest of the colors developed naturally to support a consistent experience across all their touch points—physically and digitally.
Miles Nielsen and me at The Music Box soft launch. You gotta check out this place if you're ever in Rockford.