This festive season, I had the absolute joy of collaborating with Shure, the legendary sound equipment company, to create a bespoke illustration design for their brand's holiday postcard. Known for their top-notch microphones and audio gear, Shure wanted something special to send to their big clients, along with a corporate gift. The aim was to make a lovely gesture of gratitude and festive cheer, and to increase brand trust and client loyalty.
Brand Postcard design: The Brief
Shure approached me with a clear but exciting brief: design a postcard that captured the magic of the holiday season, while paying homage to their iconic equipment. They let me have free-rain to come up with a brand appropriate design using their brand colours and fonts. I chose their classic 55sh mic -the one famously used by Elvis Presley, because its retro look is a major historical icon in the music industry and recognisable worldwide. Along with this, I included a disco ball and snowflakes to create the vibe of a wintry celebration to tie everything together.
The Creative Process
For the brand postcard design, I wanted to blend Shure’s rich heritage with the sparkle of the festive season. Here’s how I brought the design to life:
Read through their brand guidelines, importing their brand fonts and saving their specific CMYK brand colours as a colour pallet in photoshop.
Created rough individual illustrations of potential elements.
Played with the wording and illustration compositions (at one point there were 5 disco balls... and no snowflakes!).
Created some rough composition options and sent them to Shure for their feedback:
They chose their favourite composition and gave feedback for a couple of revisions.
Created the final detailed illustrations for their chosen composition and put it all together!
Played with the colours and saturation to get them just right.
Sent the final design over to get final approval:
They approved, I sent it off to print! 🥳
How the elements made it into the design:
The Focus Point: The 55SH Mic
I made this the focal point to honour Shure’s iconic legacy. Rendered to showcase its timeless design, I added a glimmering light effect to the internal component so it would seem to be illuminated from inside- to add some showbiz snazz and a Christmas lights feel.
Festive Sparkle: Disco Ball
I played around with different combinations of disco balls, to hint at a Christmas party, and to emphasise the chief goal of music creation - entertainment! The sparkles on the globe add a touch of glam to the design and make it pop.
Seasonal Charm with a modern look: Snowflakes and Snow
To evoke the festive spirit, I incorporated delicate snowflakes drifting across the postcard and a touch of snow blizzard- without overwhelming the piece with snowflakes and making it look too much. This gave the illustration a wintery feel without making it look traditional, complimenting Shure's branding.
Color Palette
I chose a palette of icy greys, warm bright lights and a hint of gold for a touch of winter luxury. The colours complemented Shure’s lime green CMYK logo colour, while embracing the festive theme.
A Blend of Retro Music, Festivity and Modern Branding
Working with a brand as iconic as Shure was awesome and this was such a fun project to work on. It allowed me to merge my love for illustration, music and visual storytelling, and I’m thrilled with how the design turned out! If you’re a music lover or someone who appreciates thoughtful design, I hope you enjoyed reading about the process. It’s a celebration of Shure’s commitment to excellence and their clients. And for me... a perfect note to end the year on!
Wishing you a wonderful festive season, with plenty of music and a little creativity!
Alice x
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