Needle in the hay is an annual competition run by Happy Mag that aims to give emerging artist the shot in the arm they need with prizes ranging from 250 vinyl pressings of the winning album to recording equipment. With these lofty expectations of a brand looking to make its mark in the always ever changing music industry, it was vital we got the look and feel right to legitimise Needle in the Hay’s status as a premier champion of original Australian music.

Getting the branding right was crucial. When working with a vibrant and contemporary brand it was important to showcase that ethos across all iterations of its application.

Happy Mag initially came to us for help in developing the brand identity, and we began by working on the design. The Needle In The Hay Competition Branding for Happy Mag aimed to develop a contemporary identity that had its own unique personality, and would convey a love of music to a young lively audience, the up and coming tastemakers shaping the music industry in all its high fidelity glory.

We started off the project like most, beginning with thorough research – bringing together a multitude of ideas and thoughts to help determine what both the client and the subsequent target of competitors would respond best to. This is by far and away one of the most exciting stages of the process as you get to look over countless beautiful ideas to help inspire the mind.

It quickly became apparent there were a number of things we needed to communicate with this branding – Music, art, culture, fun and enthusiasm for the competitors. This is a competition centred around music lovers. After working closely with happy mag through several rounds of development, we came up with the final design.

We went for a eye catching, illustrative identity that is unique in its own right. The graphic elements used clearly represent fun, combining retro aesthetics with strong colours and typography to sell the brand and its objective outcome. This branding design has given the Needle in a Hay competition a fantastic platform on which to build and we can’t wait to hear all the exciting music that will be across the team at Happy Mag.

 

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