Building a music app Part 1: Branding & Visual design
Visual identity design process for music streaming app.
In this series of posts, I will explain my process of making a music streaming app from branding to app deployment.
About the project
The goal of Lo-fi app is to deliver a simple music streaming experience inspired by Lo-Fi playlists from YouTube.
So, What is Lo-Fi?
You might have come across a playlist of random music playlists named Lo-Fi. The term stands for Low Fidelity music, which is basically random sounds used for background.
Instead of playlists for a particular genre, Lo-Fi Playlists focus on a specific mood. Something like “Asian music” “Blues” or “Anime” etc.
1- Logo design
For the logo, I wanted to design a mark inspired by sound waves.
I started by collecting references from sites like Pinterest and Behance.
Then, I started playing with random shapes in Illustrator and try to come up with random a wavy shape while still keeping it as simple as possible.
The process is not very straightforward, I usually go back and forth between logo brainstorming, mood boarding, and visual design.
After I am done with the shape I like for the mark, I started looking for the right font to pair it with the shape I designed.
2- Visual design
Once the logo is done, I created a mood board where I put references and inspiration about the Lo-fi look and feel. Then, I moved to randomly create designs while I try color, photos, and typography combinations in order to create the look I want. Finally, once I have the result I am looking for, I finalize the visual design part with a mood board where I assemble everything.
Finalizing the design
After I have a result I am satisfied with, I wrap up everything by creating a color scheme, logo, typography and few visuals.
