Designing a modern brand with vintage soul.
Branding
Westend Recordings is a Melbourne-based recording studio and independent label with a deep appreciation for the timeless sound of Motown and classic soul.
Client:
Westend Recordings
Role:
Visual Identity • Art Direction • Collateral
Year:
2023
Explore the full story –
Challenge
Where these types of projects tend to fail: lean too hard on the era and the brand becomes a costume, a pastiche that reads as dated rather than authentic.
Objective
The brief was to create a visual identity that honours the authenticity of an era while feeling relevant today. The era had to be a foundation to build from, not a filter laid over the top.
Results
The vintage craft did the emotional work, drawing on period typography and record-sleeve detailing for character. What kept it current was restraint: clean, modern layouts and a deliberately simplified colour palette, holding the nostalgia in check so it never tipped into cliché. The result is a brand with real roots that still feels like it belongs today, not a reissue of yesterday.
