Planning - Building a Brand and Identity

 Planning - Building a Brand and Identity

Focusing on my website, I began by researching how other singers present themselves online to help guide the branding of my own artist, Scarlett.

Initially, I expected the websites of globally recognised artists to feature bold and extensive branding. However, my research revealed quite the opposite...

For example, Adele, Harry Styles, and Lana Del Rey all present their names in an incredibly minimal way. This simplicity could be due to their established star personas or global fame - meaning they do not need heavy branding for recognition.

I then explored Billie Eilish and Beyoncé’s websites and noticed that neither of them featured their name at all. Instead, they used unique symbols or logos as their primary form of branding.

Billie Eilish uses a logo called ‘Blohsh’ - a genderless stick figure tilted slightly to the left. While Billie has never publicly confirmed its exact meaning, fans often interpret it as a symbol of individuality and embracing difference. This aligns closely with many themes in her music.

Beyoncé, on the other hand, uses a star on her current website. Unlike Billie, who has used ‘Blohsh’ consistently for over 16 years, Beyoncé’s star appears to be linked specifically to her latest album, Cowboy Carter. The album is inspired by the original Black cowboys of the American West. In this context, I interpreted the star as an intertextual reference to the stars on the American flag, highlighting themes of heritage, identity, and national tradition. More broadly, stars are symbols of success, aspiration, and positivity, all of which reflect Beyoncé’s public image.

This research gave me the confidence to develop my own visual identity and branding for my NEA.

After picking some of my favourite fonts, I chose the above 3 to develop further.