Aside from the vinyl records, I have designed a range of merchandise that is branded with the extrvtd assets. This includes a range of t-shirts as well as some slip mats. Initially I planned to create a vinyl care range, however I decided against this as I wanted the product list to be concise and fit effectively with the project, instead of going overboard and ending up with quantity over quality.
T-Shirts
To display these t-shirts, I am using my own mock up I created which allows me to apply designs to preset t-shirt images, as well as altering the colour of the garments to fit the design.
I begun with a simple logo t-shirt which features the extrvtd logo, as well as the slogan ‘the design of sound’ which is used in the header of the website. I felt this style fit the overall theme of extrvtd and especially the website which the black and white colour scheme, as well the continued use of my chosen font.
To complete the collection, I decided I wanted a total of 3 t-shirt designs. Therefore I decided to create an adaptation of the first tee, as well as introducing a new colour scheme and set of visuals for the third. I also made a change to the second by altering my usual font of ‘merchant copy‘ and using ‘poppins‘ instead. This was used to add some variety to the merchandise while still following the brutalist characteristic of ‘raw’ and ‘unadorned’ (Nielsen Norman Group, 2017).
I wanted to add something special to the merchandise that some companies look over and that is personal branding beyond the visuals seen on the front and the back. Therefore I designed special neck labels that would be in each shirt and add further depth to the product, making it more than just a basic garment.
Slip Mats
The other product I designed was a set of slip mats. These are circle felt mats that are placed on your record player as protection but also a small leverage for your vinyl record. Slip mats are the perfect way to display branding as customers will see your design/logo every time they play a new record. For the design, I wanted to go with something unique, so I decided to develop a ‘zoetrope’ inspired layout featuring the extrvtd logo and typography. The concept for this is when the record player spins at the correct speed, the slip mats design will imitate an animation of the logo spinning.
I have attempted to capture this effect using the below video:
I also created a black version which consists of the same design, with inverted colours. Both products are pictured below:
Adding to website
Once each product was designed and created, the next step was to add them to the merchandise product page. Unlike the vinyl records which are store on the home page initially, the merchandise has its on standalone page for customers to browse. Although the individual product page is the same format as the music products, the general page has its own style and therefore needs the product images on full display.
Similarly to the music products, the merchandise follows the same option selection window, this time with sizes for the t-shirts. It also includes a small description about the t-shirt and its print style.
References
Nielsen Norman Group (2017) Brutalism and Antidesign. Nielsen Norman Group. Available online: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/brutalism-antidesign/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2023].
