Native Instruments Design Process and Rationale
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VERSION 1 NATIVE INSTRUMENTS DESIGN PROCESS AND RATIONALE Rebrand by Andrew Johnson [email protected] aetherpoint.com https://soundcloud.com/aetherpoint Page 1 1. INTRODUCTION 2. INITIAL RATIONALE 3. RESEARCH 4. DESIGN CONCEPTING 5. LOGO EXPLORATION 6. LOGO DEVELOPMENT 7. LOGO REFINING 8. SUPPORTING MATERIAL 9. IMPLEMENTATION 10. THANKS Page 2 VERSION 1 1. INTRODUCTION For a Typography II assignment I rebranded the audio hardware and software company Native Instruments. Native Instruments is known for its leading software (Massive, Kontakt, Reaktor and Traktor) and hardware (S2 Mixers and Maschine)products for both novice and professional musical artists and audio designers. My goal was to refresh the dated visual language used by Native Instruments to something that could be applied easily to the wide variety of products the company is responsible for. Page 3 VERSION 1 2. INITIAL RATIONALE Native Instruments original logo is a reliable logo that speaks to the solidarity and quality of the company’s products. The slate color is neutral, but also sophisticated. Additionally, the axehead shape alludes to a spreading soundwave or an axe itself held by a indigenous tribe. The bold type reinforces the strong presence of the Native Instruments logo in a balanced manner. Despite its strong voice, the Native Instruments logo is clunky. The thick black borders, while increasing contrast and alluding to a physical button, wiegh down the logo. Native Instruments leading, cutting edge, role in both audio software and hardware is not apparent within the logo. Native Instruments typically utilzes drop shadows bold type, glossy graphical treatments, and dynamic imagry. While aesthetically, engaging, it adds to the unnecessary clunkyness of the brand that could be an incredibly sharpened, flexible and dynamic leading audio software and hardware brand. Page 4 VERSION 1 2. INITIAL RATIONALE: Cntd. I set out to rebrand Native Instruments with a fresh and modern take on the leading role company. I intended on creating a system that would unify Native Instruments with its products. My focus was to create a container brand that could support various treatments and visual styles to encompass the the different products. Page 5 VERSION 1 3. RESEARCH Native Instruments held key markets and attributes that its competitors did not. My goal was to identify elements of the company and their products the that needed to be emphasized throughout the brand. The Native Instrument arsenal consists of several main products: Kontakt: software sampler Maschine: rhythm machine Massive: wavetable-based software synthesizer Reaktor: modular software music studio Traktor: DJ software and hardware These products make up the current backbone of Native Instruments. They have specific visual style that can be compared and contrasted with other competition. Most of the other brands lack in visual cohesiveness and appear less exciting and antiquated when compared with Native Instruments bold imagry. Competitors lack a visual system to tie in their products to each other and to the brand itself (some simply lack integrated products). Page 6 VERSION 1 3. RESEARCH: Comparisons Native Instruments Propellerhead Ableton u-he Akai Page 7 VERSION 1 3. RESEARCH Other companies are a direct rip off of another visual style. REFX is more or a less a clone of Apple’s design, and Image Line’s imagery is striking similar to the visual style of Native Instruments. This observation provides even more incentive for Native Instruments to distance its branding from its competitors. Other companies like Moog have different imagery to draw from (in Moogs case classic, extremely well known hardware) and are able maintain a relatively tight brand. Page 8 VERSION 1 3. RESEARCH: Comparisons Apple REFX Image Line Native Instruments Moog Page 9 VERSION 1 3. RESEARCH The User Interfaces of Native Instruments products both reinforce and help define the brand. Visual cohesiveness is apparent between Native Instruments software products. User Interface elements remain the same, even when comparing different sub synthesizers within Reaktor and the separate program Traktor Pro. The only exception are standalone synthesizers like Massive, which are still wrapped inside the Native Instrument sub-brand visuals alone with Kontakt, Komplete, Reaktor and the like. Competitor User Interfaces tend to lack this consistancy. This is partly due to the fact that few companies have the large amount of products to integrate with each other to form a visual system. Instead, they create more standalone products. Regardless, the design of competitor’s software shy toward skeumorphism or physical simulation and lack visual consistancy. Page 10 VERSION 1 3. RESEARCH: Comparisons Native Instruments Reaktor - Titan 1.3 Native Instruments Reaktor - Atmotion 1.3 Native Intruments Traktor Pro Native Instruments Massive REFX Nexus 2 REFX Vanguard Lennar Digital Sylenth 1 Page 11 VERSION 1 4. DESIGN CONCEPTING In order to develop the Native Instrument brand, I indentified key points to flush out in the brand: Native Instrument’s Inherent Brand Advantages • Only company that specializes in both hardware and software. • Native Instruments are well known and widely used. • Somewhat strong Brand • Somewhat cohesive product visual system. Native Instrument’s Inherent Brand Disadvantages • Visual Brand is too similar to Image Line. • Antiquated condensed type. • The ‘glossy button’ graphical treatment is the easy way out and less effective route to make things appear tactile or of high quality. • Native Instruments branding is clunky, antiquated and lacks sophistication. • Native Instrument’s logotype doesn’t make any clever references to what the company is. Native Instrument’s Unique Brand Attributes • Leading Software & Hardware Role • Emphasizes Ease of Use and Integration • Native Instruments markets their oftware products in boxes to make them seem more tangible. • Each Synth has it’s own Big Bold Logoz Native Instru- ments has strong eye catching imagry to utilize from their products, User Interfaces, and company vision. Page 12 VERSION 1 4. DESIGN CONCEPTING Course of Action and Design Goals • Bring out Native Instrument’s unique Dominance in Software & Hardware. It’s a marriage of both. The tac- tile and the audio quality. The functionality and ability for creative expression. Currently, the logo only appeals to the physical aspect. • Bring more integrated emotion into the logo. It often sits to the side when it could be containing or interacting with the products. • Refresh the brand to negate other companies that have a similar visual style to Native Instrument’s design. • Emphasize Functionality / Usability. • Emphasize Audio Engineering • Emphasize the fun factor. • Emphasize a broad range of products. • Show how Native Instrument is the integration between products leading to streamlined workflows. Page 13 VERSION 1 5. LOGO EXPLORATION After identifying my goals, I began exploring potentials for the Native Instrument logo. NI Page 14 VERSION 1 5. LOGO EXPLORATION: Type Potential type was explored at the same time. NI NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Page 15 VERSION 1 5. LOGO EXPLORATION The grid found its way into the explorative design process for refining designs, as it aided in creating a system. NI NI Page 16 VERSION 1 6. LOGO DEVELOPMENT The logos began to evolve. N I NI NATIVE INSTRUMENTS N I Page 17 VERSION 1 7. LOGO REFINING: Rationale After spending a long time on flushing out possibilities I settled on the box logo accompanied Geogrotesque Light. My descisions were based around several design and conceptual obervations: • The logo is neutral enough to be applied to a variety of situations and contain Native Instrument’s wide range of products. • The square is a solid form that can also be easily integrated, just like Native Instrument products. It also alludes to a box of software. • The small triangle implies connectivity further reinforc- ing Native Instrument’s integrative products. • The logo is at home within a 3D or motion context. • Geogrotesque Light suits the logo with a sophisticated, technologyical, but warm feel. NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Page 18 VERSION 1 7. LOGO REFINING: Design Using a basic grid system I tightened up proportions and form relationships. NATIVE INSTRUMENTS NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Page 19 VERSION 1 8. SUPPORTING MATERIAL In order to ensure the sub products fit their parent brand, I reworked their respective symbols using the same grid and proportions. MASSIVE MASCHINE KONTACT REAKTOR TRAKTOR KOMPLETE Page 20 VERSION 1 9. IMPLEMENTATION In addition to creating a style guide for Native Instrument logo use, a number of graphical elements and explorations were derived from the logo were created for varied User Interface and branding applications. Page 21 VERSION 1 10. THANKS Professor Farrier Professor Bowden Professor Roberts Professor Currier Alain Montes Page 22.