Apple currently dominates music. Before that, we helped Woodstock Systems, a company that developed software that allowed you manage your music, listen to Internet Radio, and rip and burn your CDs.

In 2001, before the attacks in September, a client we worked with in the past called on our studio to help with his new music software company. It is hard to believe, but in 2001 music and computers were not a natural fit – in fact, it was quite an awkward process. Before iTunes, Woodstock pushed the ball forward, making it easier for users to manage and enjoy their music.

We started the Woodstock project by testing and using the software prototype. We ripped and burned a bunch of CDs, and basically took the software though its paces. When we got a feel for what the software did well, we started designing the logo. We wanted a logo that immediately felt like music, but we talked with the founders of Woodstock and came to the conclusion that the brand might be better off if we appealed to the sophisticated user. We wanted the logo to not only portray music, but to portray computer music. Because of this, we designed the logo around the musical wave form and incorporated that into the branding as well.

The website and letterhead design extend the brand, using the same horizontal lines to simulate movement. The website also incorporates photography of everyday people listening to music, with large calls to action (download, log in). The website features very large imagery of the actual software, which we think has a very polished, sophisticated look. The software’s interface design, information design, and branding was a very iterative process. We worked through several different concepts, finally choosing the flow and design language represented in the screenshots above. We worked with our client throughout the design process, and they were happy with the results and grateful of our efforts. This was definitely a challenging and rewarding project.