Overview
PLASTIC is a fictional 80s New Wave band created as a semester-long branding project. The project explored what it would take to build a believable band from the era, including its identity, typography, album releases, merchandise, posters, and ticket designs.
Goal
The goal was to create a band that felt authentic to the 80s New Wave scene while developing a realistic visual system for its first album release. I knew from the beginning that research would be a major part of the project, since the identity needed to feel period-authentic rather than simply inspired by the 80s.
Process
I started with research into 80s New Wave music, design, typography, and culture before moving into sketches and logo thumbnails. Through word association, I landed on the name PLASTIC, which became the foundation for developing the band’s identity.
From there, I created personas for the band and its audience. Thinking about who the band was and who would actually listen to them helped guide the visual direction and merchandise. I kept the work rooted in the era through bold typography, a CMYK-inspired color palette, and a deliberately experimental visual style.
Outcome
PLASTIC became a fully developed band identity that captures the eccentric and experimental spirit I envisioned for the project. More importantly, it taught me how much pre-development, research, and audience personas can influence the direction of a brand before the final design even begins.
