ISLAND ROOTS MUSIC GROUP • BRANDING
Brand identity built around a vinyl record and a palm tree.
OVERVIEW
Island Roots Music Group is a New Jersey-based independent record label dedicated to uplifting artists and connecting audiences with music that transcends boundaries. The label works across recording, production, distribution, and artist development for music rooted in Jamaican culture.
CHALLENGE
A generic logo after 15 years in the industry
Island Roots was still leading with a logo that conveyed nothing about the culture, heritage, or artists behind the brand. It could've belonged to any music company.
GOAL
A visual identity as rooted in Jamaica as the music itself
Design a system that works across digital, print, and physical touchpoints without losing its character.
DESIGN DECISIONS
The Mark
The old logo used headphones, a music industry default that said nothing about who Island Roots actually is. The new mark combines two symbols into one: a palm tree for Jamaican heritage and a vinyl record for the music itself. The trunk becomes the spindle, the leaves carry the culture. One image, two meanings, zero ambiguity about what this label is rooted in.
Previous identity — headphones mark, no cultural specificity
New mark — palm tree and vinyl record, one symbol, two meanings
Color System
Green, gold, and black pull directly from the Jamaican flag, making it culturally legible without being decorative. The constraint was contrast: the brand lives across dark digital surfaces, print, and physical merch, so the palette had to hold on black as readily as white. Every color was tested against both.
Green
Gold
Black
RESULTS
A visual voice as distinctive as the music
The new identity gives Island Roots a visual voice that's finally as distinctive as the music it puts out. It's built to scale from a streaming profile to a vinyl sleeve to a stage backdrop.
"On behalf of the Island Roots Music Group Team A massive thank you to Troy Norman for the incredible logo and website redesign! The process was smooth, and the final look perfectly captures our brand. We couldn't be happier with the results."
Andrew Norman
CEO, Founder Island Roots Music Group
