Biosynth — Kate McCartney

Biosynth

2021 Visual identity, Motion, Interactive (AR), and 3D design

Brief

Exploring new creative pathways in sound production. With advances in AI-generated music, where else can we look to push the boundaries in music production?

The Concept
Biosynth, a record label that creates music through biodata sonification. Biodata sonification devices: ‘generates MIDI notes when a change in conductivity is detected, allowing a user to listen in to the invisible biological processes occurring within plants’ (electricityforprogress.com).

The Solution
To build an identity that allows the audience to immerse themselves in this new genre. The second solution is to promote an event at the Eden Project, run by Biosynth, called Botanica.

Project featured in the Briefbox Graduate Showcase 2021 (Biosynth). Read more here.

Development

I chose three themes to follow when developing logo iterations: technology, music, nature. Broad themes that would allow the process to be open and generative. Some of the logos that followed a tech side tended to look like a software start-up that didn’t communicate the identity.

Recurring shapes and symbols inspired by a mushroom cap, dandelion, synthesizer knobs and a vinyl
record. Illustrated a possible final iteration for this mixture of themes and decided it could work in replacing the ‘O’ in Biosynth, creating a clear wordmark to use.

Further Development

My research and brand identity both point to a use of bold colours and imagery in my advertising. At this point, a distinct choice of colour palette needed to be made to ensure consistency. Moving towards a fuschia, cyan and orange colour palette.

Decided to tone back the green as this brand aims to distend reality, and create a new idea of what music and nature can be, using a colour so close to nature doesn’t allow a full immersion into the brand.

Final Logo

Taking the forms over different species of fungi, the main identity for Biosynth features the folds and segments off the underneath of mushroom caps.

The spokes of the ‘O’ icon, when rotated, simulates the spin of a vinyl record, bringing in the element of music.

Identity in use: tote bag

Identity in use: store mural

Print Assets

Following refinement of the tagline for Biosynth and its identity, three taglines were chosen to create this large poster display.
Immerse Your Senses, Hear the Invisible and Disconnect From Reality; each tagline relates back to the idea of the audience escaping into a world hidden in plain sight, entering an immersive experience through the music.

12" Vinyls

As well as digital streaming platforms, listeners can also buy vinyl records of the music, each album created by different plants: dandelions, succulents, funghi.

Botanica

Botanica Festival, presented by Biosynth. An experimental audio-visual festival that immerses you into the invisible world of electronic organic music.

Held at the Eden Project, a botanical attraction located in St Austell, Cornwall. Housing thousands of species of plant life, ranging from temperate to rainforest environments, the vast array of flora, leads the Eden Project to be the ideal location for a festival that centres on electronic-organic music.

Promotional mural for the festival

Ticket design for the event

Promotional video for the festival.

Augmented Reality

Festival-goers can immerse themselves in the music and visuals that are at the forefront of this event, through AR.

Ties in with the tagline that the audience will be able to hear, see and experience the invisible symphony from the plants.

The user scans the soundwaves on the plant identification tag, and then using augmented reality through their phone, the user can see the plant music visualised through augmented reality.

This site and all of its contents may not be reproduced. In whole or in part. Without the permission of Kate McCartney, and other additional artists or studios involved in the production of specific works shown on this website.

Index Next →