Massive Monkees Studio:
the beacon
check this funky fresh rebrand
Timeline: 10 weeks | Collaborators: Vivian Wong (Research, Web Design, Social Media, Style Guide Layout)
Roles: Research, Branding, Illustration, Hand-lettering, Environmental Graphics, Motion, Copywriting
Skills: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Procreate, Whiteboarding, G Suite, Client Relations
Client: The Beacon / Student Project
once upon a time
not long ago…
The World Champion Dance Crew Massive Monkees opened Massive Monkees Studio: The Beacon in the Spring of 2013 through the Creative Enterprise Program. This local group’s goal was to provide a creative space dedicated to producing, performing, and teaching art, emphasizing the positive art forms of Hip Hop Culture. The Beacon is an inclusive community space that fosters creativity through Hip Hop, art, music, and dance. Since opening, they have used the Massive Monkees branding because the staff was almost exclusively members of the crew and as a way to market and gain credibility. They have since evolved and wish to represent The Beacon as an independent entity.
our goal
To create a brand identity that has a Hip Hop feel without being aggressive, exclusive, or masculine. Take the emphasis away from being just a dance studio since they have added youth programs, event rentals, and other non-dance related programs. Make cohesive elements easily recognizable to be used on multiple platforms to advertise and build awareness of Brand. Make it feel authentic to the Hip Hop community yet polished to create trust with parents and families.
The old school
The old logo had too many elements, making it difficult to scale down. The colors and typefaces used were very masculine and aggressive, which didn’t speak to the inclusive environment the owners were trying to build, and still used the Massive Monkees logo and a silhouette of a breakdancer. The lack of consistent brand identity in marketing, website, and social media created confusion and caused a loss of credibility.
process
Interviewed the clients to determine what they are looking for in the rebrand, learn what they believed the brand to be, and what story they wanted to tell. We took this insight and compiled images to show clients at the next meeting. Using collected images, we guided clients through brainstorming and other exercises to form tonal territories, create a mood board, concept statement, positioning, and mission statement. Visited classes and interviewed instructors, employees, students, and parents of students in space to test mood board and tonal territories. We presented our findings to our clients and made edits bases on feedback.
Logo sketches came next. After more focus group feedback and meetings with the clients, the logo and the supporting visuals were complete.
With the log and visuals finalized, we created an animation for social media and templates for promotional flyers.
Checked in with the client to see what other deliverables they valued for their business. Provided insight on which would be useful and made suggestions for other things that would be beneficial.
Addressed the deliverables agreed upon from the meeting: stamp card, environmental graphics, social media, and indoor signage. We made additional mockups to meet clients' desire to see how the brand worked as merchandise. The final step was compiling all the assets and finalizing the Brand Style Guide Book to reference for future use.
brand new flavor
The assets provided in the rebrand captured the family-friendly, inclusive vibe that the owners wanted to promote. It communicates the connection to Hip Hop culture without being exclusive. Helped clients realize their goals and define their identity in a clear, concise style guide that they can reference to maintain their brand standards.
the logo
Full Logo
Taking inspiration from Keith Herring, the hand-lettered logo pays homage to hip hop graffiti without being aggressive. The line elements represent the creative, fun energy found at The Beacon. A 25 degree-angle makes the logo more expressive and energetic with the metaphor of elevating the community in mind. The gleam around the “O” is a call out to the cypher’s importance in hip hop culture. The cypher is a circular space that people gather to share energy, express themselves, and build as a community.
Simplified
This simplified version is used when there isn’t enough space for the squiggles or if the they would make the design too busy.
Horizontal
The logo can be placed horizontally when space doesn’t allow the 25-degree tilt
check the technique
These are sketches of some of the hand-styles we explored. Focus groups provided feedback that lead us to our final design.
get involved!
James Brown’s “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” was the perfect track to animate The Beacon logo. The message of the song aligns with The Beacon's mission to get people to come and express themselves and get involved in the community. There isn’t a better spokesperson than the Godfather of Soul.
the writing’s on the wall
To make the space have as much personality as the people that fill it, we applied the squiggle elements and the custom hand-lettered typeface outside and inside The Beacon. The graphics also act as wayfinding inside and outside the space.
Some Swag for your Bag
Fresh gear for the staff and instructors, or any other cool cats who want to look fly.
put on pause
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 epidemic, this rebrand was put on pause with the closing of The Beacon. We are still in contact with the clients and are looking forward to assisting with rolling out the new brand once they reopen. Stay tuned…