THE BRIEF

I worked on the visual design and direction for SoundExchange’s VIP Reception event, celebrating iconic music leader Richard Burgess.

With limited photography and a well-established brand system, the challenge was to push the visual language further - developing a thematic, event-ready look that felt elevated while remaining unmistakably SoundExchange.

Designed for print and on-site display, the final work prioritised clarity and impact, spanning large-format pull-up banners and custom menus for the event’s signature drinks.

Four purple informational banners with white and pink text, showcasing the career milestones and achievements of Richard Burgess in electronic music, including releases, collaborations, and contributions to music genres like EDM, New Romantic Movement, and SoundExchange advocacy.

To set the tone, I developed a moodboard titled VELVET FEEDBACK - drawing from 1980s music and film, saturated reds, and bold, expressive typography.

This deliberately pushed beyond SoundExchange’s usual colour palette. The approach was intentional: go further than necessary first, then refine with purpose.

To address the challenge of limited, low-quality source imagery, we generated stylised headshots for Richard Burgess using OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a creative tool.

Using this foundation, I produced two distinct visual directions, shown below.

THE PROCESS

MOODBOARD

Promotional poster for SoundExchange VIP Reception honoring Dr. Richard James Burgess, celebrating ten years of leadership at A2IM and contributions to the independent music industry, with a smiling man wearing sunglasses, red background.

A timeline infographic with events and milestones in a person's music career, featuring black, white, and red sections, with photos of bands and people.

An advertisement poster with a red background, titled "Dynamic Range." It features information about electronic music and innovation, including sections on EDM, New Romantic Movement, and Simmons Drum Synthesizer (SDS-V). The poster includes images o

Four album covers for Richard Burgess's Greatest Hits, featuring red and black designs and images of the artist.

Poster honoring Dr. Richard James Burgeo with a smiling portrait of an older man wearing sunglasses and a suit against a red background.

Music festival timeline featuring key events from 1963 to 1981, with images of bands and musicians, and colorful graphics highlighting historical milestones in music history.

Poster about electronic music pioneers, featuring Richard James Burgess, with sections on EDM, New Romantic movement, and electronic drums, including images of Burgess and related equipment.

Event poster for 'Glamature Drinking' featuring Richard Burgess. Describes cocktails like 'The Synthpop Spritz', 'Einstein à Go-Go Gimlet', 'The Producer's Cut', and 'Pet Soundxchange'. Red background with metallic gold and white text.

Album cover with two turntables, one labeled 'Richard Burgess Greatest Hits' and the other with stylized text 'KICF HA BURG EGO'.

FINAL

Once a direction was selected, we refined the work - aligning the colour palette more closely with SoundExchange’s brand and updating imagery where needed.

The result preserved the energy of the concept while grounding it firmly in the SoundExchange visual system.