Indie Label Dead Oceans Undergoes Major Rebranding

Independent label Dead Oceans, home to artists such as Bright Eyes, Phoebe Bridgers and more, has rebranded its visual world for the first time since its 2007 inception.

What it means:

• Working with acclaimed design studio FISK, Dead Oceans has created a new central logo as well as corresponding characters, color and type palettes, wordmarks and more.

• The move comes as the label approaches its 20th anniversary, with the new visual identity intended to reflect “both the energy and breadth of its current roster, and the broad, vibrant future it is shaping.”

• As per the press release, FISK Design Director Stefano Giustiniani says the goal was to take Dead Oceans’ identity “into something that felt more contemporary and accessible, but mostly something that felt timeless.”

What they said:

• Miles Johnson, Head of Art and Design at Secretly Group (Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory Records, Secretly Canadian): “People will have their favorite brands, but a record label is something else. It's more of a badge of honor than a brand in lots of ways. If I saw someone with a hat or shirt or tote bag from a label I loved, I’d know, oh, there’s one of my people. That happens with record labels in a way that doesn't happen with anything else."