About Work

Oljud

Building a brand around a product
Most portable speaker brands either take themselves too seriously (Sonos), lean on outdated nostalgia (Marshall) or take a boring, mass market, stance (JBL). In researching this space, I identified a missing position: a brand that values both technical quality and playful, personal expression.

This insight led to Oljud, a fictional brand producing portable speakers that combines technical quality with a modern, customizable, and playful identity. For this project I designed and 3d-modelled the speakers themselves as well as the identity, trying to balance clean and modern aesthetics with a fun, approachable personality.

The dot-matrix as a system

Central to the identity is the use of a dot matrix allowing for modular construction of illustrations, icons, animations and the logo itself. Its reference point is the LCD displays typically found on older stereo equipment - giving a slight nod to the past while also creating a connection to the product’s function.

Such a rigid, systemised, look helps to give structure while making any break of the grid or playful use of the matrix more powerful, introducing a personal and fun feeling into the brand.

Putting it all into practice (more applications to come)

Across applications the dot matrix transforms into icons, illustrations audio visualizers and waveforms. Paired with a neo-grotesque sans serif Switzer and the monospaced Space Mono, the dot matrix becomes a complete and flexible visual language. The dot reappears across applications, not only in the graphical elements but also through the products themselves which occasionally become carriers of it.