10Case study
Sample projectSoft Signal
Art direction for an imagined ambient record label: black and white imagery, one colour and a lot of air.
- Discipline
- Art direction
- Sector
- Music
- Year
- 2025
- Services
- Art Direction, Music, Packaging
Overview
Soft Signal is a fictional record label releasing ambient and experimental music, mostly on vinyl and streaming. Its artists make slow, quiet records, and the label wanted a visual world that matched the sound.
We created the art direction for release artwork, press photography, posters and digital assets, along with a flexible sleeve system for every new release.
Challenge
Ambient music is often illustrated with soft gradients and stock images of fog. It is pleasant and forgettable. The label needed something more distinctive that still felt calm.
Every release also has its own artist and mood. The system had to make each record feel individual while keeping the label recognisable in a record shop or a streaming grid.
Creative approach
- 01
Black, white and one signal
All photography is black and white. Each release then adds a single accent colour, used once per sleeve, as a small mark, a ring or a line. The accent is the 'signal' in the name.
- 02
Sleeves built from sound
The sleeve system uses concentric rings generated from the waveform of each record's opening track. Every cover is unique but follows the same structure and type lockup.
- 03
Small type, big silence
Type is set small and placed with care, leaving most of every surface empty. The emptiness is deliberate: it gives the music space before anyone presses play.
Deliverables
- Label art direction
- Record sleeve system
- Press photography direction
- Gig and release posters
- Streaming and social assets
Timeline
Weeks 1–2
Listen and define
Listening sessions with artists and a review of the catalogue.
Weeks 3–4
Visual idea
Sleeve experiments driven by waveforms.
Weeks 5–8
Make and refine
Photography, first three sleeves and the poster template.
Week 9
Ship with care
Sleeve generator files and a short guide for future releases.
Studio roles
- Creative direction
- Art direction
- Graphic design
Sample project created for the Vortex template. Not real client work.
Related work
All projects →- 12
View →After Hours
Campaign / Culture — 2026
- 11
View →Open Form
Website / Creative technology — 2026
- 02View →
Still House
Art direction / Hospitality — 2025
Contact
Have a good one in mind?
Tell us what you’re building. We’ll work out the next step together.
Prefer a form? Use the contact page. We usually reply within two working days.