Super Generic brand melds classical and contemporary themes
The new artist-led record label drives projects for recorded music, visual art and live performance. Super Generic partnered with independent design studio Lost Property to create a grounded, yet radical identity.
As the name suggests, Super Generic follows the simple design principle of making the generic super. The London-based record label aims to break away from the industry standard of following algorithms and microtrends by fostering deeper connections and prioritising creative freedom.
“With Super Generic, we wanted the design to feel like an antidote to the algorithm-driven, synthetic side of music. It’s a reminder that the emotional experience of music is deeply human,” says Steffan Cummins, Lost Property founder and CEO. “By intentionally breaking some conventional design rules, we created a visual language that stands out, feels alive and celebrates the craft and care behind every release.”
The colour palette showcases this contrast with an electric blue used against a neutral black and white backdrop. The blue was inspired by iconic post-war modern French artist Yves Klein, known for using the same blue in most of his work. The use of Yves Klein Blue adds charge and disruption to the desaturated background colours. The simple blue and neutrals palette allows Super Generic to maintain a consistent visual world across touchpoints.
Super Generic’s logo, a ‘Blue Brick’ icon, while basic in nature, stands for the role of classical structure in music with its timeless and foundational qualities. The use of electric blue deliberately evokes tension between the grounded and the futuristic.
The brand’s simple typography utilises Times New Roman as a nod to familiarity and history. The classic typeface was refined using precise spacing, ligatures and unique typographic designs. This transformation of Times New Roman aims to create something expressive and surprising from an otherwise muted typeface.
Super Generic took inspiration from the Japanese tradition of OBI strips to develop a custom layout generator that creates a unique strip for every vinyl release, which is then used on the record packaging. Each OBI strip aims to be distinct while recognisable as part of a wider system.
