Resonate Recordings

How a rebrand project blossomed into a long-term collaboration

Image of the Resonate Recordings Logo
Image of the Resonate Recordings Logo
Image of the Resonate Recordings Logo
Image of the Resonate Recordings Logo

My Role:

Brand Identity

User Research

Product Design

Creative Direction

Overview:

2020 – 2022

Podcast Industry

B2B SaaS

iOS App

Meet the Client

From a scrappy start-up to #1 in Apple Podcasts

Image of Jacob Bozarth and the Resonate Recordings team
Image of Jacob Bozarth and the Resonate Recordings team
Image of Jacob Bozarth and the Resonate Recordings team
Image of Jacob Bozarth and the Resonate Recordings team

Jacob Bozarth and the Resonate Recordings team.

Meet Jacob. He’s the founder of Resonate Recordings – a podcast production agency in Louisville, KY. He and his team have worked on 15 #1 Apple Podcasts, served clients like Honda, Salesforce, and Twitter, and created the original True Crime show – Culpable.

As the agency matured they found themselves in need of a rebrand and website refresh. They reached out to me with this ask and we worked out an agreement to do just that.

Robby has done design, branding and UX for two companies I have started. The level of thoughtfulness, quality, and creativity he provides is truly a rare find. After working with Robby, we have gotten hundreds of compliments from investors, partners and customers. Recently, Robby designed a pitch deck that helped us raise over $1.8m in funding. I had investors saying it was the best-looking deck they had ever seen.

Jacob Bozarth

Founder & CEO, Resonate Recordings

Robby has done design, branding and UX for two companies I have started. The level of thoughtfulness, quality, and creativity he provides is truly a rare find. After working with Robby, we have gotten hundreds of compliments from investors, partners and customers. Recently, Robby designed a pitch deck that helped us raise over $1.8m in funding. I had investors saying it was the best-looking deck they had ever seen.

Jacob Bozarth

Founder & CEO, Resonate Recordings

Robby has done design, branding and UX for two companies I have started. The level of thoughtfulness, quality, and creativity he provides is truly a rare find. After working with Robby, we have gotten hundreds of compliments from investors, partners and customers. Recently, Robby designed a pitch deck that helped us raise over $1.8m in funding. I had investors saying it was the best-looking deck they had ever seen.

Jacob Bozarth

Founder & CEO, Resonate Recordings

Robby has done design, branding and UX for two companies I have started. The level of thoughtfulness, quality, and creativity he provides is truly a rare find. After working with Robby, we have gotten hundreds of compliments from investors, partners and customers. Recently, Robby designed a pitch deck that helped us raise over $1.8m in funding. I had investors saying it was the best-looking deck they had ever seen.

Jacob Bozarth

Founder & CEO, Resonate Recordings

Brand Identity

The power of co-creating and sneaker metaphors

Discovery and research

I started by interviewing the Resonate team to gain a clear understanding of their immediate needs, long-term goals, and success metrics. However, I wanted to go beyond the surface, so I asked them to imagine their company as something entirely different. For example, if Resonate were a sneaker, what type would it be, and why? If it were music, what might it sound like? These metaphorical questions revealed the brand's deeper personality, capturing the essence of the desired brand feel. Their responses became a crucial foundation, guiding the creative process and setting the right direction.

Image of sample interview questions
Image of sample interview questions
Image of sample interview questions
Image of sample interview questions

A sample of the interview questions I crafted. At Resonate, this process was conducted entirely asynchronously.

Next, I conducted competitive and analogous research. I set up a Dropmark board to collect visual inspiration and invited the Resonate team to collaborate. This was a perfect opportunity for co-creation, allowing the team to contribute visual examples they liked, and perhaps more importantly, those they didn’t. Before long, I had the direction and creative insights needed to start developing visual concepts for the brand’s identity.

Image of the Dropmark board we used to collaborate
Image of the Dropmark board we used to collaborate
Image of the Dropmark board we used to collaborate
Image of the Dropmark board we used to collaborate

We used a Dropmark board to collaborate and collect things we liked and disliked.

Ideation and visual concepts

Ah, the blank canvas—this is where the real fun begins! The freedom to explore creatively is both exhilarating and a bit daunting. This is when those metaphorical questions, like envisioning your brand as music, really come into play. The creative process can be messy and unpredictable, but it ultimately led to three polished conceptual directions that I was excited to share with the team.

Here are two example tracks shared by the team that embody what the Resonate brand could sound like if it were music. I found myself repeatedly drawn to these artists during the ideation phase, as their music helped me capture a vibe that’s difficult to express with words.

Three conceptual directions

The ideation phase resulted in three refined conceptual directions, each carefully crafted and presented to the Resonate team. The slides below showcase examples from that presentation. The team responded positively to different aspects of each concept but chose to take some time to reflect before making a decision.

Concept 1: Solid, bold, strong, masculine

Concept 2: Approachable, friendly, fluid, slightly more feminine

Concept 3: Classy, contrast, luxury, minimal

Finalization and brand kit deliverables

The team ultimately chose Concept 3. After making a few adjustments, I expanded it into a more complete visual brand identity, including logos, badges, monograms, color palette, web typography recommendations, etc. With that foundation in place, it was time to shift my focus to the website refresh.

Image of the final logo
Image of the final logo
Image of the final logo
Image of the final logo

Final logo.

Final logo variations and core color palette
Final logo variations and core color palette
Final logo variations and core color palette
Final logo variations and core color palette

Final logo variations and core color palette.

Monogram variations
Monogram variations
Monogram variations
Monogram variations

Monogram variations.

Example badge photo overlay treatment
Example badge photo overlay treatment
Example badge photo overlay treatment
Example badge photo overlay treatment

Example badge photo overlay treatment.

Badge variations
Badge variations
Badge variations
Badge variations

Badge variations.

Example monogram photo overlay treatment
Example monogram photo overlay treatment
Example monogram photo overlay treatment
Example monogram photo overlay treatment

Example monogram photo overlay treatment.

Playback bar accent
Playback bar accent
Playback bar accent
Playback bar accent

Playback bar accent.

Working with Robby on the rebrand for Resonate Recordings and brand creation for Resound were both fantastic experiences. His eye for design and ability to create visuals that truly resonate with audiences is unparalleled. Robby intuitively understands what makes a brand stand out, and his work elevates the message in a way that’s both modern and timeless. Whether you’re a start-up or a large enterprise, Robby’s creative expertise will take your brand to the next level.

Mark Minnery

Co-Founder of Resonate Recordings & Resound

Working with Robby on the rebrand for Resonate Recordings and brand creation for Resound were both fantastic experiences. His eye for design and ability to create visuals that truly resonate with audiences is unparalleled. Robby intuitively understands what makes a brand stand out, and his work elevates the message in a way that’s both modern and timeless. Whether you’re a start-up or a large enterprise, Robby’s creative expertise will take your brand to the next level.

Mark Minnery

Co-Founder of Resonate Recordings & Resound

Working with Robby on the rebrand for Resonate Recordings and brand creation for Resound were both fantastic experiences. His eye for design and ability to create visuals that truly resonate with audiences is unparalleled. Robby intuitively understands what makes a brand stand out, and his work elevates the message in a way that’s both modern and timeless. Whether you’re a start-up or a large enterprise, Robby’s creative expertise will take your brand to the next level.

Mark Minnery

Co-Founder of Resonate Recordings & Resound

Working with Robby on the rebrand for Resonate Recordings and brand creation for Resound were both fantastic experiences. His eye for design and ability to create visuals that truly resonate with audiences is unparalleled. Robby intuitively understands what makes a brand stand out, and his work elevates the message in a way that’s both modern and timeless. Whether you’re a start-up or a large enterprise, Robby’s creative expertise will take your brand to the next level.

Mark Minnery

Co-Founder of Resonate Recordings & Resound

Website Refresh

Polishing <p> tags and honing hexadecimals

The Resonate website needed some love to visually align with the rebrand. We cleaned up the navigation and infused the site with the brand’s new color palette and typography. Although it wasn’t a full overhaul, the site received a substantial visual upgrade that helped complement the new brand launch.

Redesigned sign in page
Redesigned sign in page
Redesigned sign in page
Redesigned sign in page

Redesigned sign in page.

Images of the website design aligning it with the new branding
Images of the website design aligning it with the new branding
Images of the website design aligning it with the new branding
Images of the website design aligning it with the new branding

I collaborated closely with the Resonate team to revitalize their website design, aligning it with the new branding.

Long-Term Collaboration

From pilot project to part of the team

After the pilot branding project wrapped up, we decided to extend our collaboration. It started with a 90-day work agreement, then expanded to 6 months, and eventually we transitioned to annual renewals. The longer I worked with Resonate, the more I became an extension of their team. During this time, we tackled several major projects, including:

  • Interviewing users to uncover new opportunities

  • Interviewing users to uncover new opportunities

  • Interviewing users to uncover new opportunities

  • Interviewing users to uncover new opportunities

  • Designing and launching Resonate's iOS app

  • Designing and launching Resonate's iOS app

  • Designing and launching Resonate's iOS app

  • Designing and launching Resonate's iOS app

  • Branding the "How I Built This" of podcasting

  • Branding the "How I Built This" of podcasting

  • Branding the "How I Built This" of podcasting

  • Branding the "How I Built This" of podcasting

Interviewing users to uncover new opportunities

The Product Manager and I interviewed five internal users to gather feedback on the existing web app experience. Our goals were to better understand how Resonate team members and end customers interacted within the app and to uncover common pain points we could address.

This lean research effort enabled us to identify and prioritize several quick wins. It also provided valuable insights that shaped our approach to the next major project: designing Resonate's customer-facing iOS app.

A video interview I conducted with a Resonate Audio Engineer
A video interview I conducted with a Resonate Audio Engineer
A video interview I conducted with a Resonate Audio Engineer
A video interview I conducted with a Resonate Audio Engineer

One of the video interview I conducted with a Resonate Audio Engineer.​

Image of FigJam feedback clustering
Image of FigJam feedback clustering
Image of FigJam feedback clustering
Image of FigJam feedback clustering

We organized the feedback into common themes, allowing us to prioritize quick wins effectively.

Image of difficulty/impact matrix
Image of difficulty/impact matrix
Image of difficulty/impact matrix
Image of difficulty/impact matrix

We mapped the opportunities onto a difficulty/impact matrix to guide the team in determining which initiatives to prioritize now vs later.

Designing and launching Resonate's iOS app

The iOS app was developed in response to customer demand and to address workflow challenges faced by the Resonate team. This project required close collaboration across design, product, business, iOS engineering, and web app engineering teams. The result was a best-in-class native app experience that seamlessly integrated with existing internal tools, setting a strong foundation for future growth.

Image of low fidelity iOS app wireframes
Image of low fidelity iOS app wireframes
Image of low fidelity iOS app wireframes
Image of low fidelity iOS app wireframes

A glimpse of some initial wireframe views.

Figma Prototype

Figma prototype of the initial wireframes—feel free to explore!

Image of higher fidelity iOS app wireframes
Image of higher fidelity iOS app wireframes
Image of higher fidelity iOS app wireframes
Image of higher fidelity iOS app wireframes

Wireframe iterations and exploration for what the higher fidelity design might look like.

Figma Prototype

Figma prototype of the higher fidelity wireframes—feel free to explore!

Image of the final designs for both light and dark modes
Image of the final designs for both light and dark modes
Image of the final designs for both light and dark modes
Image of the final designs for both light and dark modes

The final version featured designs for both light and dark modes.

Collahe of the design sytem created for the iOS app
Collahe of the design sytem created for the iOS app
Collahe of the design sytem created for the iOS app
Collahe of the design sytem created for the iOS app

A comprehensive Figma design system, UI kit, and developer documentation were created to support the app’s design and build process.

I collaborated with Robby as a developer on the Resonate Recording iOS project, where his exceptional attention to detail was particularly impressive. The comprehensive design he developed for the application showcased meticulous planning and thorough execution, including a carefully curated color palette, typography system, and reusable UI components tailored to platform-specific requirements such as light and dark theme configurations.

Jeffery Trespalacios

Senior iOS Engineer, Yahoo!

I collaborated with Robby as a developer on the Resonate Recording iOS project, where his exceptional attention to detail was particularly impressive. The comprehensive design he developed for the application showcased meticulous planning and thorough execution, including a carefully curated color palette, typography system, and reusable UI components tailored to platform-specific requirements such as light and dark theme configurations.

Jeffery Trespalacios

Senior iOS Engineer, Yahoo!

I collaborated with Robby as a developer on the Resonate Recording iOS project, where his exceptional attention to detail was particularly impressive. The comprehensive design he developed for the application showcased meticulous planning and thorough execution, including a carefully curated color palette, typography system, and reusable UI components tailored to platform-specific requirements such as light and dark theme configurations.

Jeffery Trespalacios

Senior iOS Engineer, Yahoo!

I collaborated with Robby as a developer on the Resonate Recording iOS project, where his exceptional attention to detail was particularly impressive. The comprehensive design he developed for the application showcased meticulous planning and thorough execution, including a carefully curated color palette, typography system, and reusable UI components tailored to platform-specific requirements such as light and dark theme configurations.

Jeffery Trespalacios

Senior iOS Engineer, Yahoo!

Image of the iOS app icon design
Image of the iOS app icon design
Image of the iOS app icon design
Image of the iOS app icon design

iOS app icon design.

Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch
Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch
Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch
Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch

Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch.

Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch
Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch
Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch
Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch

Marketing images for the Apple App Store launch.

Branding the "How I Built This" of podcasting

In partnership with Tenderfoot TV, the Resonate team embarked on an exciting new venture by launching their own series of original podcast shows under the brand name Resonate Originals. The flagship show, Turned Podcaster, delves into the art of podcast creation, featuring top podcast hosts who reveal the untold stories behind their shows.

I played a key role in shaping the visual identity for both Resonate Originals and Turned Podcaster, helping to bring these concepts to life.

Image of the Resonate Originals logo
Image of the Resonate Originals logo
Image of the Resonate Originals logo
Image of the Resonate Originals logo

Resonate Originals logo.

Animated gif of show art concept variations

During the conceptual phase, we explored various iterations of the show cover art.

Image of the final show art and episodic art concepts
Image of the final show art and episodic art concepts
Image of the final show art and episodic art concepts
Image of the final show art and episodic art concepts

Ultimately, we chose a clean show cover art design paired with concepts for distinctive episodic artwork, each highlighting a different guest.

New Opportunity

How a key challenge led to the birth of a new company

One of the major pain points for Resonate’s audio engineers was the tedious and repetitive nature of editing audio for their clients. To address this, the team embarked on an internal project to explore how AI could streamline their workflow. They began developing and training their own machine learning model to automate these common tasks. The results were not only promising—they were transformative. This innovation sparked the idea for a new startup.

In early 2022, the decision was made to go all-in on a consumer facing AI podcast editor. The spin-off company would be called Resound. It's mission: automate podcast editing for creators. And…I was coming along for the ride!

If you're looking to build a visual brand identity or get a refresh, please get in touch! We can start small, and see what may blossom.