Transcription
Today, we're going to talk about Fred again and the art direction behind his brand. If you want to build a devout cult following, tour the globe, sell out shows all around the world, and truly connect with your audience, you're going to need a strong visual identity, compelling story, and quality music to do it.
From the very beginning of the Fredigan project, when he stepped out from the shadows of the behind-the-scenes world into the spotlight, his story and visual identity were clear and intentional. Out of the gate, Fred connected with his fans on a deeper level than many artists. His ability to connect and relate to his audience became his superpower. But is this something that some people are just born with, or can this actually be engineered?
For the last 15 years, I've been an art director and creative director for some of the biggest names in music as well as luxury fashion brands. And what I've learned is the magic in creating memorable brands lives in the fine details of how it's put together. Your music or your product can be top-notch, but without the right story and visual identity, the audience may not connect with it in the way that you hoped.
The approach that we take when we're looking at brands is to look at the brand as a movie or ongoing show that the audience is watching. And your music is the soundtrack that accompanies this movie or show. And the combination of these elements is what connects like-minded people to your art. And that's what it's all about.
Fred again and his team have a deep understanding of storytelling and visual identity. And they're masters at scaling the idea of connection and relatability. In this video, I'm going to break down Fred again's brand, looking at the art direction and how that ties into the storytelling. Part of what made him rise at the speed that he did was the strength and intentionality behind his brand. Even from the early breakout moments, it seemed like there was already a bigger vision in place. Something was connecting on a deeper level.
And that's one of the key secrets to building a successful music project: it's the same as creating a movie or show. The script and visual direction should come first. Before you start showing your story to the audience, you're going to need to define the story and also how that story looks and feels. This is how the best in the world do it, and hopefully, you can steal some of the process.
For the visual identity, we're going to look at overall inspiration, mood boards, photo and video art direction, typography, layout, styling, color—all the elements that go along with a strong, thought-out visual identity. Fredigan's brand as a whole is a masterclass in creating a compelling story and then executing that story with a strong visual identity.
Working with our agency, the Cold Creatives, over the last 12 years, I've seen artist brands change almost overnight just by clearly defining their story and then creating a corresponding visual identity that matches that story. All of a sudden, everything starts to connect with the audience. It's like a great movie where all the elements are working together. The story is strong, the performances are amazing, the cinematography matches those elements, and the emotion that the creators intended is finding its way to the audience. This is why the visual identity is so important.
We actually have a free art direction playbook with blank slides that you can use to art direct the contractors you'd hire for your own brand. If you want that playbook, comment "cult playbook" and we'll send you the document for free. No signups, no sales, no emails. It's just something I want you to have if you need it.
How you package your brand is everything. It often doesn't matter how good the music is if the brand as a whole doesn't match. I'll give some more tips towards the end of the video on how to make sure your brand as a whole syncs up with all the elements. But for now, let's get into Fred again.
Key number one: Who are you? So, if you've seen any of my other videos on the Neighbor Arts Supply channel, you know that I believe that at the heart of any great brand or movie is the lead personality of the brand. When a potential fan experiences a brand, they're subconsciously dissecting what the brand is about. Subconsciously, they're asking themselves, "What is this? Who is this? And do I care?" Their minds are curious to know who the brand is and what it represents.
As an organizational tool, we use Carl Jung's personality archetype wheel to help artists define their archetype. I won't spend a bunch of time on this as it's been covered in previous videos, but for newcomers, here's the high-level explanation. Before human beings were the global community that we are now because of digital technology, we used to exist in small tribes. And the way that we understood the other people in our tribe is we put them into categories or boxes. We as human beings are super complex. Sometimes we're passionate, sometimes we're funny, sometimes we're heroic, sometimes we're creative. But the way other humans see us is they usually group us into single buckets or combinations of buckets in terms of archetypes. They see us as one archetype, and that's based on what they believe our primary motivations are.
They also subconsciously identify with certain archetypes. So, if you clearly present yours, they can build a deeper bond with them. Meaning, if they identify as a hero and you present them a well-done hero brand, they'll likely feel a deeper bond with the brand itself. So, choosing the archetype is a key first step in defining who you are.
So, as a note, for me, one archetype is ideal, but often brands will have a split of two and sometimes three archetypes. If you have more than one, there should always be a dominant. Meaning, if you're a rebel hero, you should be something like 70% hero, 30% rebel. Or if you're a rebel hero jester, you could be 70% hero, 25% rebel, and 5% jester. You're funny sometimes, but it's a really small percentage. And when the audience is experiencing the brand, they clearly know that the main archetype is hero. And it's my recommendation not to have more than three, as it starts to become too confusing to the audience, and they don't understand who the brand is and what they represent.
So, you can see how this would be crucial to defining the "who you are" section of the brand. When we're creating a brand, it's one of the first things we attack as defining the character of the movie is key before anything else begins. We have a longer video on the Neighborhood Arts Supply channel that goes more in-depth on how to find your brand's personality if you want to check that out.
And you may be thinking, "Aren't artists real people? Why would you write it like a movie or characters in a movie?" And you're not wrong in your thinking, but the way an audience psychologically experiences a brand or an artist is the same. It's a story that's being told, and the audience is experiencing that.
So, what is this for Fred? What's his archetype? Before we define that, let's learn a bit about Fred's story, as it will inform where they went with the archetype. So, before anyone knew Fred again, Fred Gibson was a kid from South London who loved music and art. Although he grew up in a world surrounded by English high society, he said in interviews about how ordinary and grounded his upbringing actually felt. This matters because it shapes how naturally he connects to everyday sensibilities.
Later on, at 16, he started working on music with his neighbor, who happened to be Brian Eno. If you don't know who Brian Eno is, he's one of the most influential producers and creative thinkers of the last 50 years. Someone who's helped shape how modern music is made and how artists think about creativity itself. Not a bad neighbor to jam some music with. And for Fred, Brian wasn't just a job or an internship. He was a real mentor. It wasn't about hits or industry shortcuts or connections. It was about curiosity, about listening, about treating music like a living thing instead of a formula. That idea of listening first to people, to moments, to environments, tapping in. This becomes a thread that you'll see show up again and again later in Fred's work. This is a mindset that got baked in early.
So, after secondary school, he went to Marlboro College, which had a strong arts program, and that's where things really started to click. He was writing, producing, and experimenting, deepening his craft, learning how music makes people feel. And at this stage, the focus wasn't on image or performance. It was on emotional impact. What happens when someone actually hears a song, and how do people connect with it?
Then, after school, Fred didn't jump directly into being an artist. He went behind the scenes first. And this is where some of those early connections helped, and where the resume gets kind of insane. He was producing and writing for people like Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora, and Demi Lovato. Real chart-topping, number one records, high-pressure sessions, real dedication, real discipline. Those kind of rooms will teach you how to disappear inside the work. You're supporting someone else's story, not your own. And Fred speaks about in interviews how much he enjoyed the collaboration in those sessions and feeling deeply connected to the people and the work. And also, creating at that level created even more discipline and intentionality around his own point of view.
So, when Fred eventually did step out as an artist, it didn't come out of the blue. It came from years and years of doing the work quietly until he felt he had something he actually wanted to say and it was time to step out. That long period of being unseen is part of why some people relate to him so strongly.
Now, when asked about why he decided to step into having his own artist project when he was already having such a high level of success as a producer, he said without stepping out, he felt like he was hiding a bit from what he really wanted to say. And that idea, not hiding, showing up fully and letting people in, becomes the emotional backbone of everything that comes next.
Okay, so now back to the archetype. Now, I wasn't in the room when they were making this decision, but here's my guess. For someone that identifies as an ordinary person who spent the majority of his life studying, experimenting with music and art, the clear archetype blend that would be authentic to him and his story is the everyman creator. So, 70% everyman, just an ordinary person, your friend Fred, someone who's just like you. And then 30% creator, someone who's obsessed and motivated to create things and share things.
So, Fred is definitely an artist, but for his character, the fans feel like he's their friend that they grew up with who's now smashing it in the music world, and they couldn't be happier for him. Together, they want to share in the joy of his ascension. They feel like they really know him. They feel like he's one of us. And when he wins, we win.
So, once you have the archetype, the next step is to define what are the values of the character and what does the character believe in. We have another video on the Neighbor Arts channel that goes more in-depth on how to find and define your brand's belief and value system if you want to check that one out as well. But based on my study of Fred and his team, here's my educated guess on what some of those beliefs might be.
So, when you're coming up with a brand belief system, you either start with "we believe" or "we do not believe." And it's single sentences that define your values. So, for Fred, some examples could be:
We believe real life is where the art lies. We believe the most powerful emotions come from life's real moments: conversations, voice notes, laughter, silence, mistakes. You don't need to invent emotion. It's already happening all around you.
Next belief: We do not believe perfection makes things better. We believe the pursuit of perfection often removes the feeling, the cracks, the timing behind being slightly off, the breath in someone's voice. This is where the real lives. This is where the emotion is.
Next: We believe music is made to connect people. We believe songs are made to carry real human presence and connect humans with one another. Connection is the point.
Next: We do not believe the artist should stand above the audience on a pedestal. We believe the best moments happen when the distance disappears. When everyone in the same space is part of the same thing at the same time, we are all the same.
Next: We believe the moment you're in right now is what it's all about. We believe that being present in the moment is where real humanity lies. We create and make things to strip away distraction to allow more focus on being present.
Next: We believe intimacy can scale. We believe something made for one person can still move thousands. The more specific the feeling, the more people can see themselves inside that feeling.
Next: We do not believe fans and artists are separate. We believe fans and collaborators are our friends. Everyone in the room matters equally. We are all part of what's being created.
We do not believe you need to be loud to be heard. We believe in scaling what's real. Strip away everything that takes away from something being real.
So, this is a brand belief and value system for somebody like Fred. And you can already see how it may inform things going forward. The belief system not only creates a point of view, it firmly roots the brand in core beliefs, and ultimately, that's what takes a person from a casual listener to a superfan. When the brand believes in things deeply and sticks to those values, that's when movements form. It becomes even more about the core beliefs than the art itself. It's not saying that the fans don't love the art. They absolutely do. But the belief system is the bridge that forms the deeper bond.
At Colt, we create brand belief and value systems for all the artists that we work with directly. Fleshing these out is a key part of our process, and it should be for you as well. But once you know who you are and what you believe, how does that play into the overall story? Now the movie really begins, and that's what we're going to talk about next.
Key number two: What's your story? So, now we know the character, and before we get into the art direction side, we need to know what kind of story this brand is going to be. How could you create the sets for a movie or style the characters if you don't know what the movie is about? So, the next step is to find the plot of this story. The audience subconsciously thinks, "If I'm going to spend my time and follow your musical journey, what is the story that I'm following?" This is different than just listening to your music. This is following you and your story.
So, for us at Colt, we define the plot of the brand story using Christopher Booker's seven plots thought process. We have another video on the Neighborhood Arts channel that goes more in-depth on finding your brand's plot, so you can check that out after this. But at a high level, this is how to think about it.
So, according to Christopher Booker, there are only seven real plot lines out there. He spent 30 years of his life researching all kinds of stories: short stories, biblical stories, mythology, Shakespearean stories, modern movies, and plays. And he discovered that there were only seven main plot lines across all stories. What the stories were actually about when distilled down. He told readers, "If you find another one, please email me, as I spent a little bit of time researching this."
So, according to Booker, these are the seven plots: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, Voyage and Return, The Quest, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth.
So, a couple quick examples from music. Let's use Skrillex. What's his story plot been all about? For the Skrillex brand, Sonny is on a never-ending quest to make things and share things. As his journey continues, he will be inspired by different things he experiences on his quest, and he will share those inspirations with his audience. He even has an album called *Quest for Fire*. So, the Skrillex brand is a quest plot.
Next, what about J. Cole? Humble beginnings with an ascension story towards the top. This falls into a rags to riches type plotline. For fans that identify with Cole and didn't come from much, watching him ascend can be an inspiring story.
So, then, what about Illenium? What's Illenium's brand story? Illenium's brand story is a rebirth story with a history and an open dialogue with the audience about addiction. There was a true falling of the main character into darkness, but then being reborn and rising into a renewed world. His albums follow a rebirth narrative: *Ashes*, *Awake*, *Ascend*, and his brand icon is literally a rising phoenix. Dylan Francis would be a comedy plotline, and then Nine Inch Nails would be a tragedy plot line.
So, those are a few examples, but what would this be for Fred? In my opinion, Fred's brand is a quest plot meets Voyage and Return. I think his story is similar to Skrillex. I think he's an artist that's on this never-ending quest to create. But I think where the two differ is Skrillex is more of a rebel creator. He wants to challenge the system with his creativity, but Fred's more of a relatable everyman creator, and at the heart of his quest is connection. For years and years, he will continue his quest to connect and find deeply human moments.
And then, as a subplot, Voyage and Return does seem prevalent. Voyage and Return is about leaving the comfort of your home, going somewhere else, and then returning forever changed. This would be like *The Wizard of Oz* or *Alice in Wonderland*. So, for Fred's story, this is him stepping into the light, leaving what was a comfortable world of making records for other people and putting the spotlight fully on himself, going to an entirely different world where he's now the main character.
Now, as a note, just like the archetype thing, a plot can be a combination of multiple styles of plot, but again, it's my recommendation that one is dominant, and the others can support.
So, once you have the plot, it can be good to have a brief elevator pitch on what the full story is actually about. At a high level, I'll take a stab at what the story of the Fredigan brand could be:
In a world addicted to noise, speed, and spectacle, Fredigan makes a radical choice to slow down and tell the truth. This is the story of an ordinary person from South London choosing presence over perfection, and meaning over polish. Built from late-night voice notes, unfinished conversations, lost friends, iPhone vids and pics, and quiet moments no one else noticed, Fred transforms fragments of everyday life into electric communal releases. His journey isn't about escaping the world, but being fully inside it, finding what's real in the middle of the chaos. Each song and each moment become the vessels for bridging humanity amongst friends. Fred's story is about being here now and the quiet, powerful search for those rare, deep human connections where everything else disappears and all that's left is us.
So, something like this would be on the back of the DVD for the movie that you're about to watch. I know, old head reference with the DVDs, but I do wish we still had those. At Colt, we typically create these high-level summary write-ups on the brands that we work on, so everyone's on the same page around what the movie is all about.
So, now you have the character, the beliefs, the plot, the story, but there's one more crucial step needed before you begin art directing so you can clearly know how to define the way the brand should look.
Key number three: What are the brand themes? So, now we know who we are and what the story is all about. Let's look at some high-level themes surrounding the story that will influence where we go with the art direction.
When we look at the Fredan brand and the story, there are some key themes to focus on. The first being connection. If you're a fan of Fred, don't you feel like you kind of know him? You get where he's coming from. His moves make sense. That's not by accident. You're connected. You understand each other in the structure of his brand story. This is the main thing the character seeks. This is what he's after. This is what he's about. So, a theme of true intimate connection would be a core brand theme.
So, then the next theme is being real. Being truly real versus being synthetic or manufactured. Many of the songs Fred performs have live elements. It started with the drum pad, and he had real moments where he'd try something difficult, and if there was a mistake, the audience would see it, and that's okay because it's real. One of the first times I personally saw Fred was on a TikTok video where one of the audience members at his Boiler Room performance accidentally hit the CDJ and turned it off. Fred laughed it off, restarted the song, smiled, and then jumped with the audience member who accidentally turned off the CDJ. He could have gotten mad and had security escort the person out of the booth, but he didn't. He had a genuine reaction to a real moment, and you saw who Fred was, and that plays into the next theme, which is humanity.
The human experience is unique against any other creature on the planet or wired in a way that creates deep emotions, desires, needs, and connection points. The Fredigan brand leans into humanity as one of its core themes, seeking to showcase moments of emotion surrounding the human experience. This is what the brand's all about.
So, then the next theme is a concept that I'm calling "excitement lives in the moment." This theme plays against the three others where it's taking the idea of connection, real, and humanity and creating moments where the excitement comes from being in it. I know so much of what we're discussing today has a framing of things being premeditated and planned, as they should be. But for Fred, that setup is in place so that the real moments can actually happen. For example, many artists have fully time-coded sets that pair with custom visuals, which is awesome because it's like watching a choreographed and edited movie. But for Fred, the excitement comes in the tightrope walk of doing something live and in the moment, something that has stakes and things could go wrong. So, the excitement is created from the setup, and it allows Fred to be in the moment with the audience. And that's where the last thing comes from, relating to the audience.
The last thing being relatability. Fred isn't above the audience. He's right there with them. Back to the brand beliefs: "We're all from the same place." "Fans and collaborators are friends."
So, those are the Fredan brand themes. And this section is a little bit shorter against everything that I discussed so far, but it's actually the most important because these themes inform the full blueprints on all the rest of the foundational pieces of the brand. The art direction, the copy, the voice, the content should all play into these themes. Every element, in some way, should draft off of these themes. So, again, those themes are connection, real and raw, humanity, excitement lives in the moment, and relatability. These are going to be the pillars that will support the art direction of the visual identity of the brand. And getting the details of the visual identity right is what separates good from great. And that's what we're going to get into next.
Exactly how to art direct a brand like Fred. Again, key number four: How does the story match the look? To find the guidelines of the visual world.
So, let's play a scenario. You watched a new movie or series and you absolutely loved it. You instantly became a super fan. In this scenario, there was likely something unique happening, and most of this was subconscious, but this is what was happening: You were invested in the characters and the story because it reminded you of different elements of your own life. The movie looked the way the story felt. The sets, the coloring, the camera movement, the editing—all played perfectly together. The combination of all the pieces created an emotion surrounding a message. Even though everything you saw was made up and fake, you felt connected to the story. You felt connected enough that if there was another movie or series with the same brand, you'd tune in to see it and you'd see if you connected again.
For the biggest brands on the planet, the same phenomena is happening over and over with the audience. And this is exactly what's happening with the Fredigan brand. And this is where the real magic happens. This is where the real secret is. This next part is what it's all about, and it's the core of what I've learned working in the branding space over the last 15 years. The brand should look how the story feels. Let me say that again: The brand should look how the story feels.
Decisions should be made from the rules and principles of the brand, not if something is cool or not. Every choice should serve the brand and move the narrative forward. Just like a movie, no scenes are there by accident. Everything has a purpose and is intentional. It's all based around what the artist is trying to say with their brand and the story. The brand themes you come up with should inform the visual choices you make.
For example, in Guillermo del Toro's movie *Frankenstein*, starring Jacob Allerty and Oscar Isaac, he said in interviews, one of the main themes of the film he focused on was the cycle of life and death and the journey of energy through that cycle. Because it was a cycle, there was an idea of featuring circles as the visual language of the film. Del Toro is often obsessed with these kinds of Easter eggs, and he's also obsessed with shape language. The way he constructed the sets, there were circles everywhere. Frankenstein's lab itself was circular. The window in that lab was circular. If you look at the other sets, the lights in the chandeliers, they're round. The cave where the monster lived had rounded doors. The electrical tubes that brought the lightning to Frankenstein's monster were round, as well as the halo coils. The circles help tell the story. They imply the flow of energy. The energy that moved through the monster. Life is borrowed. Power has no beginning or end.
So, this is an example of how an artist can use a theme and have that play into a visual language of a story or brand. And this is just one choice. There are thousands of choices to make when creating a brand. But the more you do the upfront work of defining what the brand is and what it's all about, those choices become much easier to make and much easier to see.
Okay, so let's look at the visual story for Fred again and see how our story and themes play into that. And as we do this, I'll use the Cult playbook that we offer to organize the different elements. And I know that this is a bit strange, as it's retrospective, doing something like this after it's been created versus before. But for the purposes of today's case study, what I'm going to do is create the guidelines deck as though it's in the early phases of the Fredigan brand. And this is the kind of deck that they would have used to art direct the different elements. I am going to include, though, examples of how the brand's art direction was brought to life and execution, so you can see how when you art direct something, that that can be executed and then brought to life. The decks we create for our clients at Colt are usually much more in-depth and go deeper into the weeds, especially in the story. But for the purposes of this short video, I felt this was the best way to lay everything out. So, let's get into it.
So, to begin, we've added our archetype blend with a short write-up on how those archetypes will play with one another for the brand. So, the write-up for that goes something like this:
At the core of the Fredigan brand is the everyman archetype. It's grounded, relatable, and emotionally accessible. Fred never positions himself above the room. He shows up as someone within it. His story is built on shared experience, emotional honesty, and presence rather than performance. Fans don't just admire him, they recognize themselves in him. This "he's one of us" feeling is the foundation of his deep audience connection and the reason casual listeners evolve into superfans.
Supporting the Everyman foundation is the creator archetype. Curious, disciplined, and driven to make meaning from everyday life, Fred treats music as something alive. It is shaped by conversations, environments, mistakes, and fleeting moments. His creativity is constant and visible, but never ego-driven or exclusionary. The creator energy shows up in experimentation, openness, and an instinct to translate real life into sound, not to impress, but to connect.
Together, the 70/30 blend creates artistry without distance. The creator gives the brand depth and originality, while the dominant everyman keeps it warm, human, and approachable. Fred isn't framed as a genius on a pedestal. He is a friend deeply moved by life, inviting others to step into the experience with him. That balance defines how the brand looks, feels, and scales connection at every level.
So, the next page is "What the movie is all about." This is where you'd include your brand story summary. This was the "back of the DVD" thing we talked about earlier.
This next page talks about Fred being the main figure of the brand. Sometimes with brands, the artist actually isn't the main focus of the brand. There are brands like The Gorillaz or Excision or Eric Prydz where the artist creating the music and the visuals isn't the focus. The visuals themselves are the focus. Often, the people that are familiar with these brands don't even know what the artists themselves look like, but they know the visuals. But then artists like John Summit, Fisher, Dom Dolla, Steve Aoki, or Dylan Francis, they are the brand. It's their likeness in the marketing efforts, and it's them on the social pages. So, for Fred, he is the brand. The brand is about him and his likeness.
The next page is where you can lay out your brand beliefs. Again, these help inform the story and the point of view of the brand.
The next page is the "Visual Brand Pillar" page. This is where you can lay out the ingredients that you're going to cook the visual brand with. For Fred, these are the elements that we have laid out:
* Fred himself, a relatable creator.
* Real, candid images.
* Real photography and video in the moment and in action.
* Themes of connection and humanity.
* Minimal, clean graphic design.
* Photo and video should do the storytelling.
Then, once we get into mood boards, I like having a high-level page where you get an overall sense of the full vision of the brand's visual identity references. I like calling out the key elements to focus on from each of the references pulled from the board so the viewer knows what they should actually be looking at. It can be good to have a write-up here as well, just to explain what you're after further.
So, the write-up here reads: "The visual world of this project is grounded in humanity first. Everything should feel lived-in, present, and emotionally honest rather than polished or perfect. We're drawn to moments that feel caught rather than constructed. Candid frames, imperfect compositions, natural light, blur, grain, motion, and subtle chaos. This is a brand that values real connection as its most valuable resource. Faces, hands, bodies in motion, quiet pauses, shared energy, and intimate proximity all matter more than the precision of the composition itself. If an image feels too clean, too staged, or too designed, it's probably moving away from the core. The goal is to make the viewer feel like they're inside the moment, not observing from a distance. Creatively, think documentary over editorial, presence over performance. This sandbox invites emotional truth, vulnerability, and immediacy. Visuals should evoke closeness, warmth, and shared experience—the feeling of being together. When making decisions, ask: 'Does this feel human? Does this feel now? Does this feel real?'"
Write-ups like these are crucial for the contractors you're going to hire so they know where they can play. Remember, they're artists themselves, but you've now given them a sandbox that they can exist in.
So, the next page features environments. I usually like to have a couple of these pages. It positions the sets of where the brand should live. For example, for some brands, their movie will mostly take place during the night. Some will be shown in urban settings. Others will be in nature or organic environments. The options are unlimited, which is why it's good to call out where the movie takes place so everyone's on the same page.
For Fred, you'd of course have the venues where the music's being performed. But outside of that, much of the movie takes place in the real world where music is being created. Places like at home with the laptop on the kitchen table, or in the living room, or at a friend's bedroom studio. It could be making music on a train, or in a car, or backstage before performing, or on a stoop waiting to be picked up. This all feels authentic, taken from real-life moments. It's why showcasing songs via a live stream on your rooftop with some friends feels more real than an industry listening party that's shot with cinematic cameras. So, even though this all may seem intuitive to the creator of the brand or the artist, it's important to call out the environments and the places that the brand should live to make sure everyone's on the same page.
So, then the next page features the color palette and the color story around the brand. For Fred, his palette is a little bit more open than most, but he has themes of golden warmth, sky blues, and black and white. The intention around the coloring is that everything feels real and it doesn't feel too dark, moody, or synthetic. For a brand like this, you never have neons or super saturated colors. For the brands that we build at Colt, we always define a specific color palette, both for photo and video coloring. We also define the overall brand color palette, as well as hero or pop colors. For every brand, it's case by case, but whatever you do, consistency is key.
Next, let's look at the photography art direction. Since we now know our stories and themes, coming up with a style here becomes much easier. How can you photographically show something that is meant to be about connection, relatability, realness, excitement, and humanity? You want photography that feels real and in the moment, almost like the images were stolen instead of posed. The idea that you're trying to capture feels human, relatable, and authentic. Even though the selection process of choosing what images will be used will be highly curated, the feel of the photography should be 100% real in its core.
So, I like featuring key images here that convey the overall emotion that I'm after. On the side of the page is a write-up on what to call out to the photographers. This helps drive home the point that you're after. The more specific you can be, the better. We've worked with hundreds of photographers through the years, and trust me, none of them will be bummed on more information or more clarity in the direction.
So, this part of the page reads: "The photography should feel instinctive, human, and alive, as if the moments were stumbled upon rather than staged. We're prioritizing imagery that captures connection, relatability, excitement, and emotional presence in real time. This means more documentary energy over polish, imperfection over control. Blur photography, on-camera flash, iPhone captured, and intimate compositions are not stylistic gimmicks. They're tools for truth. Blur introduces movement and accident. Flash brings nostalgia and lived-in realism, and phone photography taps into a visual language we all recognize as honest and immediate. Composition is equally critical. We favor closeness, eye-framing, and shared perspective. Never positioning Fred above the audience, but alongside them. Across all these references, the through line is consistency and feeling. Images that feel like stolen fragments of life rather than curated moments. When viewed individually or as a system, the photography should communicate the same thing clearly and effortlessly. This is real. This is human."
So, the first photographer page focuses on blur photography, which is great because it feels almost like an accident because the images aren't pure. The viewer can also feel momentum from blur photography. It feels almost documentary style, like you're right there in the moment.
The next page has another style of photography called on-camera flash, which has that nostalgic feel and feels like it's capturing in real-life moments instead of a curated studio shoot. Because of the look of a disposable camera or '90s/2000s party photography, the image itself feels like it already has history. It feels real. The moments feel stolen.
The next page lays out moods of iPhone photography, which can be great as well, as it's a real-life visual language we're all used to seeing. Color works for these, but black and white can also make things feel real and emotional and a bit more artistic. Black and white has a timeless and classic feel.
The next page focuses on composition. This is a key thing to call out, as scaling and positioning the subject greatly affects how the audience feels viewing it. For example, if an image is composed as a wide shot where the subject is really small, the focus is more on the environment of where they find themselves. You can do a lot of storytelling with just the scaling of a composition. On the flip side, for the Fred brand, we want to be as close as we can be for many of the shots. We want to feel like we're right there with our friend Fred, like we're having the experience with him. We never want to frame him in a way where the audience feels like they're below him and he's above us. As often as possible, we want to be on the same level.
The next two pages are used to show how Fred executed concepts like this. You can see how all these images feel real. They feel like stolen pieces of Fred's life. There's a consistency in the art direction. Individually, the images stick to the brand's identity. And also, when you see them as a collection, you get a sense of the realness and the humanity behind Fred's brand. Even when you look at his tour flyers, the images they used feel stolen, like they were quickly snapped in a moment instead of super-curated pose studio shoots. And we love a curated studio shoot at Cult if it makes sense for the artist brand, but this stays true to Fred's brand direction.
So, next, let's look at video. These pages parallel the photography path. Here's the write-up for the video page:
"Video for the Fred brand should feel lived-in, instinctive, and emotionally present, never frozen, over-polished, or overly controlled. These pages mirror the photography approach: slow-motion candid moments that echo blur photography, nostalgic camcorder footage that feels like found memory rather than produced, and iPhone videos that ground everything in the here and now. A critical distinction for the brand is the camera movement. We avoid tripods as much as possible. Static cameras distance the viewer while handheld movement brings them into the experience. Slight swing, imperfect framing, reactive movement, and human pacing are essential. The camera should feel like a person in the room, not a machine observing it. This philosophy is what turns a good clip into a moment people can actually feel. References like director Spike Jonze reinforce this approach: handheld, voyeuristic, emotionally grounded capture that prioritizes feeling over form. When applied to Fred's own executions, i.e., rooftop sets, intimate collaborations, rehearsal-style performances, or recap edits of shows, the result is consistent and is unmistakable. The footage feels stolen, warm, imperfect, and alive. Every video decision should ask the same question: Does this feel human? Does this feel real?"
So, on the first video page, you have the candid, in-the-moment slow-mo stuff that mimics the blur of the photo. Here's a couple of examples of videos with that style of direction. You can see with the drag that you get some of that blur feel, and it's just a moving version of the blur photography. Here's another example of that.
The next page has some of the nostalgic camcorder vibes. This would be the parallel to something like the on-camera flash disposable camera feels, but more in the video form. Camcorder footage feels real and it's not synthetic or tailored. Here's an example of the camcorder footage vibe. Here's another example of that.
So, then the next page has the iPhone references. The most important note with these is a feeling of being in the moment and that it's happening here and now. Even though it's iPhone, it's still not polished and still not perfect. I've said this dozens of times in this video already, but it's real and it's human.
So, the next page focuses on camera movement. This page is an important one in terms of art direction, as it defines how the movement of the camera is going to feel. Often, when people shoot video, they'll set up the iPhone or camera on a tripod. There's a big distinction for Fred's brand. The camera is rarely on a tripod, what we call "sticks." You don't want it on sticks because it freezes the viewer in one place. If you want things to feel real, handheld brings the audience into the bumpy ride with you. As you yourself are walking around the world, or you're hanging out with friends, your body sways and moves. That movement feels more human and real.
There was a video of Fred's that went viral where he was showcasing a new song. And part of the magic of that video was the camera movement. If you notice, the camera starts on the decks, just pointing up at Fred. But right before the drop happens, the camera guy, sensing a moment, grabs the camera and begins to dance and move with Fred. We, the viewer, feel like we're right there in the room, bobbing our head and dancing with Fred and the people behind the booth. That subtle camera move was likely the difference between a good video for social and a viral moment. So, this page calls out the handheld camera movement and gives the videographers vital information on how moments should be shot for the Fred brand.
Spike Jonze is one of the most well-known music video and film directors of the last 30 years and is known for his real-feeling cinematography. You can look at his 1998 music video for Fatboy Slim's song "Praise You," where he shoots himself and a group of amateurs doing a choreographed flash mob dance in front of a movie theater. The whole video feels like a stolen moment from real life. Or if you look at his music video for Beastie Boys for the song "Drop," the whole song is done in reverse, but it's handheld and it feels bumpy and real. Even in his feature film *Her* with Joaquin Phoenix, much of the film is shot handheld. As Joaquin's character moves through the world, the camera follows him like a voyeur. As he moves, it moves with him. So, if I were art directing the video for Fred against brand, I would include references like this in terms of the camera movement to make sure the capture felt real.
So, now let's look at a few examples from the Fred brand of how exactly they executed their video content. There's "Rooftop Live," which was a live set from a friend's rooftop in London. The video feels candid and real. The conversations, reactions, and responses from Fred and his friends feel authentic and in the moment. This may seem like a simple, "Let's do a set on the roof impromptu" type idea, but it's actually a masterclass in executing the brand's story and its art direction.
Next, let's look at "Rumble," the official music video. Now, this is a collaboration track, so it may not be 100% on brand, but let's see if it follows some of the same art direction. The video has a fan going into a club where Skrillex, Flowdan, and Fred are performing. It's handheld and it toggles between real footage from the show featuring slow-motion shots, blur video, close-ups of fans. Flowdan seems to be rapping the lyrics during a sound check. And all of this conveys a feeling of real human and authenticity.
Now, let's look at a video of Anderson .Paak and Fred again in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles in April of 2024. Watch the camera movement on this. It's handheld, and the cameraman sneaks down the stairs to see what looks like to be a practice session between the two. It's set in the living room of a normal house. Even though in this video the camera is a cinematic camera, the way it's shot and color-graded makes it feel real. The color grade has a golden warmth to it, and Fred and Anderson seem to be truly in the moment, enjoying themselves.
Lastly, let's look at a recap post from a quick class Fred gave about music. Even the way this video is edited follows the guidelines and the rules of the brand. There's a mix of camcorder footage, iPhone videos, handwritten letters, in-the-moment mistakes, smiles, and human connection. The brand elements all coming together into one posted video.
So, now the next section of our guidelines stack we're going to look at is layout style. This page should feature examples of different graphic design layouts. This would be for tour or show flyers, maybe single arts, billboards, etc. There should be a cohesive visual language to the.
layouts. For Fred, his brand is all about him and the photo and video pieces being the vehicles to connect. So instead of loud graphic design with tons of elements, it's extremely minimal. It's really there just to give the information and support the image. It's a design language that doesn't hog focus. It actually gets out of the way to let the imagery do the lifting.
This also plays into the font choice, which on the next page is super minimal Helvetica style fonts. And then every so often he'll use some handwritten elements, but handwritten as if they were scribbled or something you just wrote with your finger on your phone. Handwritten is a great choice for the Fred brand as it can seem more human. But again, all the choices that are being made are in the pursuit of the feeling of being real and human.
Now, the last bit of defining a brand's visual language, especially if the brand focuses on the artist themselves, is the styling. Now, with some artists, the styling is actually one of the lead components of the brand identity. An artist like Lady Gaga or CIA or Anima or Steve Aoki. So much of what you know of the brand is the look of the artist.
Because Fred is trying to build the brand around connection, humanity, realness, and relatability. The styling should feel more tame. The clothes should never pull focus from Fred's face, which is the thing that's actually connecting with the audience. The clothes can feel like a relatable creative type. So, hoodies, sweats, t-shirts, vests, those are all fair game. Muted colors are ideal, but color is okay. He's still an artist. Graphics are okay, but they should be minimal. The clothes should never wear Fred, meaning he should always be what draws the eye, not his outfit. You're not going to see Fred dripped out in a heavily graphic Louis Vuitton piece. Also, for the Fred brand, no sunglasses as that covers his eyes, which is the truest form of human connection.
So, that's it in terms of the art direction deck. As I mentioned before, we go further in the weeds with many of our clients at Colt, but for this video, this gives you a sense of the bare minimum of what you need to cover when it comes to art direction. So, we've got it all. We know who we are, what we believe, and how we look. But there's one last step that's crucial in bringing this all together, and that's what I'm going to talk about next.
Key number five, how to present the brand. Execution mindset. This is where all the work you've done building out the brand can come crumbling down if you don't get this next part right. Execution. It's why movies with the best script, best director, best cinematographer, and an incredible crew will end up making a bad movie. Something starts to slip away as the story is coming together.
Many great artists are great because they're the type of people who take risks, they take chances, and they want to exist outside the box. But that kind of mindset is actually where the execution of a proper brand can start to slip because the guidelines we've laid out today for a brand like Fred again would all start to lose connection and momentum if he started changing them and deviating from the core elements along the way. Real conviction and commitment is where success lives. And that's one of the most important things to highlight in all this.
Fred's brand and its language may seem simple, but a huge reason why it's working is because Fred and his team never, and I repeat, never deviate from the brand or its story. They didn't all of a sudden start incorporating AI visuals or now that Fred's more successful, he starts wearing loud luxury brands or adding more pyro to the shows or jumping on the new genre trend. They're taking a simple concept and real human story and brand and they're scaling that. They aren't looking around at what the rest of the industry is doing. They stay in their lane. They stay on brand and they grow. They're confident in their taste and their point of view. Your friend Fred is simply making more friends.
And this is where many artists go wrong. They one haven't taken the time to define these elements of who they are, their story, their principles, visual identity, what their marketing plan and strategy is. Or two, if they have an idea of all this, they don't stick to it. They chase the next shiny object in hopes that it will work. They're so desperate for success, they've forgotten who they are. Or three, they hired and collaborated with the wrong people to help bring their vision to life. They rushed the process and put out a mediocre product of the brand.
Now, I've been so blessed to work with some of the biggest artists in music, and there's one thing that they all have in common. They know who they are. They plan and they strategize with the best they can find, and then they commit. Simple as that.
Becoming an artist like Fred again might not be as hard as you think, but if you're unclear on the key elements of your brand, every decision becomes difficult, let alone committing. You have this in you. You just need to take the time to do the soul-searching. Find people you trust to play that against and then lock in and commit.
I'm going to continue to make videos like this in hopes that it helps you on your path. If you feel compelled, share this with a friend or drop a comment. We read them all and we respond to most. I love artists and creative types. They're my people. So, if this helps you in any way, I'm stoked. Until next time, good luck in all your pursuits and I'll see you soon. Peace.