The Verdict: R/GA spotlights One Day’s emerging artists

About the work

Australian music company and record label One Day, which is backed by EMI/Universal Music Australia, required a new identity to reposition itself as an advocate of local creativity. In completely redesigning One Day, the role of global creative innovation company R/GA was to craft a brand that honours the dreams of artists.

Having transitioned from artist collective to events brand to talent management and artist development company, One Day presently manages a roster of Australian musical talent including 18YOMAN, J EMZ, tiffi and Chillinit.

Focusing on the visceral sensation of being on stage, R/GA partnered with motion studio Never Sit Still to engineer an identity based around stage lights. By highlighting every artist’s ‘One Day,’ the new brand harnesses the music scene’s raw energy.

Henry Cook, creative director at R/GA, comments, "Our strategy was built on the reality that the path to success in Australia has never been more difficult. Our idea was simple: every artist has a 'One Day.' Visually, we captured the feeling of performing in front of a packed-out crowd, echoing the glow of fans' phones lighting up as they record their favourite moment."

The aspirational identity includes a logo that counts down, signalling the belief artists carry all the way to their breakthrough. Meanwhile, the overall art direction and dynamic motion design system also aim to reflect the ambition the company has for its artists.

"There is a natural tension today between the science of breaking an artist and the raw emotion of their music," adds R/GA’s chief design officer, APAC, Ben Miles. "One Day stands firmly behind the artists who dig deeper, embrace imperfection and find joy in the craft and the chaos. In a world increasingly run by predictability, this brand is a reminder that realness can’t be automated."

Peer review

Julie Faktor, executive creative director, Yonder

One Day is a great name for a record label. It talks to ambition, to hopes – and not just the artists’ hopes but those of their millions of fans who imagine, just for a moment, what it might be like to be in their shoes.

R/GA has taken that central idea and amplified it beautifully. By asking One Day artists to name their “One Day” – to say aloud the one thing they’re working and yearning for – the brand becomes both intimate and personal while showing the One Day artist roster as a collective.

And it works. Across every touchpoint, the identity exudes an energy and grit that understands the kind of mettle it takes to break through. The stage-light motion system, the countdown logo – every detail connects back to performance and the euphoria of the one day you realise you’ve made it.

Tim Dove, strategic director and owner, Re:brand

Many entertainment brands focus on creating a visual identity for themselves. One Day appears to have taken the opposite approach, creating a platform that puts artists at the centre and allows them to be the heroes of the story. Strategically, that's a smart decision. Audiences build relationships with artists, not record labels.

The idea of "One Day" is also deceptively powerful. It captures a universal ambition that emerging artists, fans and industry partners can all relate to. The best brand ideas often feel obvious in hindsight, and this has that quality.

Visually, the system has energy and flexibility, particularly in motion, which is increasingly where music brands live. If there's a weakness, it’s that when you strip away the system, the core identity does little on its own, leaning on motion and context to carry it. In a content-first world that may be deliberate, but it's a real dependency.

Ultimately, the success of this rebrand won't be measured by whether people remember the logo. It will be measured by whether more artists see One Day as a place where careers can be built. In that respect, the strategy feels both clear and culturally relevant.

Lauren Hawking, creative director, The Edison Agency

Ultimately, our job in design is to emotionally connect with the viewer, to make them see the brand, experience the brand, relate to the brand, and therefore easily remember it. Great design doesn’t just communicate, it resonates. It cuts through the noise and lights up something brighter, it ignites something in us and that’s exactly what R/GA have nailed so beautifully.

By cleverly tapping into the most compelling and raw consumer truth – that every emerging artist dreams to be up in lights – they’ve managed to land something pretty special. They’ve visually captured the break-through feeling artists yearn to experience, one that is aspirational and true to every artist’s journey. They’ve created a visual language that is sensorial and emotive across every touchpoint, from lit-up typography and photography that captures an aura of atmospheric excitement to motion shot from the artist’s point of view. Each artist is made to feel seen, understood and ultimately inspired. It feels personal, human and culturally relevant, traits that also stand them apart from their big buck, arguably stiff industry competitors.

They’ve enabled a creative brand to have a clear creative point of difference, one young creatives can genuinely see themselves in. I’m not a musician by any stretch, but if I had that talent, One Day would be a label I’d consider.