Hobotechnologies
Hobotechnologies is the #1 resource for Ableton Live users and the music blog of Hobotech. The educational power blog by Jon Margulies, author of Ableton Live user books, was designed for users to easily navigate the complex and wonderful world of music production in Ableton Live.
The Outcome
The Challenge
Jon Margulies, a.k.a. Hobotech, literally wrote the books for Ableton Live. He wanted to create a branded information hub that linked Ableton users to his personal tutorials as well as his music, and mixing services.
His personal music brand was budding as he toured across the U.S., but he had no visual identity associated with him, other than that of Ableton’s software.
The Role:
I worked with Margulies to develop his brand essence and a creative brief that detailed the mission and values of Hobotechnologies.
I developed all visual assets, from the logo and iconography, to photography, to the front-end design of the website.
The programming of the site was handed off to another designer and the branding has shifted over the years, but lets explore the beginning of the journey.
Hobotechnologies is now one of the leading sites for Ableton Live Tutorials with over 6,500 email subscribers. Margulies was so happy with my work, he returned to work with me again later when he launched the album for his band, Tiny Machines.
The Process
Interview:
From the get-go, it was clear that Margulies wanted to illustrate the parallels between freedom and security. Hobo glyphs are a tried and true system of security within the freedom of hobo life. Margulies also loved the atomic era aesthetic and the revolutionary vibe of Sheperd Fairy.
Ultimately, users of the tutorial site would be creating a musical revolution via the power that is hobo-tribe knowledge.
Defining the Specs:
Since the site was the main focus, we started there. Functioning like a blog, each category was associated with a unique glyph. There would also need to be space for the promotion of Hobotech’s music and mixing services.
The Design Process:
I started with the 3 rough concepts, rendered as landing pages. This concept leaned a bit more towards the revolutionary vibe which Margulies loved but he wanted to integrate a bit more “filth & conspiracy.”
These additional concepts were presented as concept 1’s social headers for specific promotions. These concepts ultimately sold Margulies on the current branding direction.
Phase 2:
He loved the logo concept from the previous comp so I refined it just a bit and popped into onto an image that evoked hobo-life. Then I extended the texturing from the logo to the rest of the site. Here we have the second rough concept for the landing page.
The concept above was chosen as a hands-down winner and I refined the logo for multiple applications, including stickers and other kitschy promo-products.
Then I developed a series of iconography to represent the various aspects of the tutorial site. These icons would nod to Sheperd Fairy as well as traditional hobo glyphs.
The branding was then extended to social promos, banner ads, and pop-up pages promoting Margulies’ books and printed tutorials.
Working with the world’s leading expert in the world’s leading music production software was truly an awesome experience. I’m honored for the opportunity to work with Hobotech.
