lukecharles mixes a playful brand identity for FutureDJs

An initiative to get DJ-ing into the classroom, FutureDJs is all about breathing new life into music education by getting students to connect with the music department through the music they love. UK exam boards now recognise DJ decks as a musical instrument alongside the piano, violin or guitar, making them a potential part of Music GCSE. There’s a lot of demand from students, but only a few teachers with the skills, resources and experience to meet it.

lukecharles worked with FutureDJs to create an overall brand that would take them from crowdfunding right through to the classroom, including a website with interactive animations, exhibition and classroom experiences, marketing materials and apparel.

To communicate the fact that classical instruments are used to create digital music, and reinforce that a set of decks is a musical instrument in their own right, the team created a graphic language made from nine simple geometric shapes. The shapes combine and morph into various classical instruments and key digital symbols found on decks.

These shapes are used throughout the entertaining, interactive website, giving users a chance to have a go at creating their own music. Developed from a sound responsive animation that the team originally built for school talks, the site uses colourful graphics that users can interact with using their microphone, keyboard or screen to produce their own digital melodies. The more creative you get, the more the graphics come to life (we have to confess to having a little too much fun with this!). Take a look at futuredjs.org.