Studio Camo for MIC Records
Power, Community
Music Inspires Change.
I used to buy records from the shop Nicole worked at, we struck it off straight away. I always enjoyed buying records from Nicole. It was as much to do with her temperament, humour, opinion as it was to do with her impeccable taste in music. After a few years of not seeing each other I received an email from Nicole in September 2016. She wanted me to create the branding for a label she was about to launch. The request for a brand identity was urgent as test pressings for the first release were imminent. After an initial sharing of images based on the label ethos and the visual aesthetic Nicole was trying to capture, which totally resonated with me at the time, I created a mood board. In a nutshell, the general feeling we wanted to capture was of something slightly lo fi, grainy, organic, honest and a bit DIY whilst being strong and bold. This reflected the labels approach. Our initial interactions and friendship was extremely important to the success and swift delivery of an identity that we're both proud of, and for our working relationship ever since.
For me personally, great brand design/ design outcomes are built on the inspiring relationships and energy created by individuals with strong and clear vision. This is more important to me than talking about the mechanics behind the process.
Statement by Paul Camo Roberts
Operating in predominantly black and white design, the creative direction of MIC Records's visuals are overseen by Paul Camo Roberts, founder and Creative Director of Margate-based Studio Camo. Camo’s work is fitting for the mission of MIC records in large part because the label is so focused on the music, trying to let the projects speak for themselves. The visuals range from a house "club hits" style on the Mike Collins or LAPS projects to a more punk rock signature-look on the work of TVII SON or Lord Tusk.
For Camo, the designs are almost always a pure response to the sound of the record itself, an organic creation for a label that came together organically.
After working at and managing Sounds of the Universe for over a decade, Londoner Nicole McKenzie felt that she needed to make a change in her life, one that would give her more creative freedom. In pursuit of this more genuine self-expression that she was hoping to find, McKenzie began to think about what running her own record label would look like, what mission they would champion and consequently what artists they would seek out. Until finally, on a whim, she reached out to Mike Collins, Jazz funk producer of the 80s whose music had reached huge audiences particularly in New York’s burgeoning club scene, while Collins himself was somewhat unaware. With the release of Lost Tapes 1983-1989, Music Inspires Change, or MIC records, was now on the map.
To start an independent label as a means of finding yourself, throwing off the comfort of working for a well-established company, is extremely brave. But McKenzie, by choosing to do so, gave herself a space to have her own voice, and also to use that voice for her artists. She is able to cultivate a certain sound one that she hopes will be a boost to the emotional well-being of MIC's followers. This is the change that MIC hopes to inspire, a powerful and personal mood-altering that permeates the music that McKenzie broadly defines as "Personal Space" music. Though only a few years old, MIC records is certainly a label to listen for.
For Camo, the designs are almost always a pure response to the sound of the record itself, an organic creation for a label that came together organically.
After working at and managing Sounds of the Universe for over a decade, Londoner Nicole McKenzie felt that she needed to make a change in her life, one that would give her more creative freedom. In pursuit of this more genuine self-expression that she was hoping to find, McKenzie began to think about what running her own record label would look like, what mission they would champion and consequently what artists they would seek out. Until finally, on a whim, she reached out to Mike Collins, Jazz funk producer of the 80s whose music had reached huge audiences particularly in New York’s burgeoning club scene, while Collins himself was somewhat unaware. With the release of Lost Tapes 1983-1989, Music Inspires Change, or MIC records, was now on the map.
To start an independent label as a means of finding yourself, throwing off the comfort of working for a well-established company, is extremely brave. But McKenzie, by choosing to do so, gave herself a space to have her own voice, and also to use that voice for her artists. She is able to cultivate a certain sound one that she hopes will be a boost to the emotional well-being of MIC's followers. This is the change that MIC hopes to inspire, a powerful and personal mood-altering that permeates the music that McKenzie broadly defines as "Personal Space" music. Though only a few years old, MIC records is certainly a label to listen for.
Statement by Omar El-Sabrout
MIC Records
Logo Development
Credits:
All Graphic Design by Paul Camo Roberts / Studio Camo
Instagram: @paulcamo ↗︎ @_studiocamo_ ↗︎
studio-camo.com ↗︎
MIC RECORDS (Music Inspires Change)
Nicole McKenzie - Founder / CEO
Insta: @micrecords ↗︎
TVii Son
Mika, F. Zimmer and O. Zoria
Insta: @__tvii_son___ ↗︎
All Graphic Design by Paul Camo Roberts / Studio Camo
Instagram: @paulcamo ↗︎ @_studiocamo_ ↗︎
studio-camo.com ↗︎
MIC RECORDS (Music Inspires Change)
Nicole McKenzie - Founder / CEO
Insta: @micrecords ↗︎
TVii Son
Mika, F. Zimmer and O. Zoria
Insta: @__tvii_son___ ↗︎
