Music Artistry & Branding

Visual Identity Design for Indigenous Electronic Artist Jacob Hoskins

"Indigenous electronic artist Jacob Hoskins has been gaining momentum for years, bending musical boundaries to fit the intensity of his expression. An enrapturing coalescence of darkness and light, Hoskins’ music is informed by the contrasts in his own life: the good and the bad, the nature and the city, the tensions and the reprieves. Hoskins’ rapturous compositions take us on a climactic trip through shared highs and lows, crackling with the edgy energy of vernal adventures, dancing on the brink of a new frequency."

When Jacob Hoskin's team approached us for branding, we were challenged to create a visual identity recognizable within the many worlds that artists create for each album. From this brief, we came up with an ethos where two values would always be in play:

• The familiar: elements that make the audience feel comfortable for ease and brand recognition

• (i.e. social media presence, website design)

• The novel: elements that recruit people and keep us current

• (i.e. concerts, album artwork, music videos)

The goal was to create a brand identity that has the ability to slip without losing recognition. We decided to be anti-dogmatic and give room for creative liberty. This brand is designed as a jumping-off point for all artists and designers that work with Jacob Hoskins.

The primary logo is composed of a rectangle with a radial blur representing honesty, solidarity, and stability while also adding specificity to what is seen as a generic shape. Embedded in the blur is a modernized rendition of the Mi'kmaq symbol for “we” or “us.” The use of Mi'kmaq hieroglyphics nods back to Jacob's Indigenous roots and imbues the brand value of community into the visual system. This design move reinforces Jacob’s mission to treat his listeners as family and supports his advocacy intentions.

The Jacob Hoskin's brand is dynamic, cultured, bold, spiritual, and cinematic. It is dark and edgy. And it was crafted to resonate with his listeners and dream collaborators.

The brand had the opportunity to flex into another conceptual world for the single Hollywood. We were asked to create album artwork and a visualizer for this release.

Project Credits

Brand Strategy: Atelier Oluwatosin

Brand Identity Design: Atelier Oluwatosin

Brand Photography: Tyler Pengelly

Web Design: Atelier Oluwatosin

Atelier Oluwatosin Team: Tosin Odugbemi, Anjay Seabrook

Typefaces: Palace of Sports by Stanislav Chiganov and Lato by Łukasz Dziedzic

Are you a personal brand that needs a cohesive identity clarified for your team to work within? Reach out to us at atelier@oluwatosin.net, and let's chat about how we can serve your vision.