Playback

2025

TYPE:
Branding/Visual Identity
Concept Design

Playback comes from my love of old records, live music, and the timelessness of vinyl culture. I wanted to create a concept that captures how food and sound can be experienced with the same level of intention.

By day, Playback is a vinyl-inspired diner serving soulful comfort food. At night, it flips into an upstairs venue for intimate live sets. It is a brand built for people who care about sound, design, and detail — a space where nothing is treated as background noise.

The brand identity draws from vintage record labels and mid-century design: bold typography, layered textures, rich color, and collage elements that feel analog and inviting without leaning on traditional diner clichés.

The inspiration moodboard for Playback pulls from vintage record sleeves, mid-century diners, and live music posters from the ’50s–’70s. I wanted to capture the tactile warmth of analog design through layered textures, bold typography, rich colors, and soulful photography that reflect the energy of sound and the comfort of food. These references shaped Playback’s visual world—nostalgic yet modern, familiar but unexpected.

From there, I explored a range of logo directions inspired by the movement of sound and the rhythm of vinyl culture. The goal was to design a mark that could feel at home on a record sleeve or a diner sign—something timeless, versatile, and rooted in Chicago’s live music energy.

The variations experiment with type weight, balance, and geometric motifs drawn from turntables and grooves before narrowing into the final wordmark system.

I chose the final logos for their balance of structure and soul. The badge carries the warmth of a record label or diner emblem, the wordmark channels mid-century hi-fi energy, and the monogram with the “All Good Things on Repeat” line captures the rhythm of sound. Together, they create a timeless, flexible system that feels both analog and distinctly Chicago.

Music is full of variety, and I wanted Playback to reflect that by breaking the traditional rule of sticking to one or two main fonts. Instead, the brand uses a diverse typographic system rooted in vintage music poster typography from the 1960s and ’70s. Each typeface carries its own rhythm and personality, creating a visual language that feels as layered and expressive as sound itself.

Color sets the tone for a brand, and for Playback I wanted a palette that felt rich and deep — a nod to the era of records.

Once the identity was set, Playback extended into the physical world — from signage and menus to uniforms and merch — creating a space where design, sound, and soul play in harmony.

GRATITUDE X LATITUDE

GIGGLE WATER

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