DixonBaxi’s Roli rebrand is tactile, warm, and purposely non-tech

Designed to allow its user to explore and express their musical potential without boundaries – in a way more accessible than before – new brand Roli has set out to ‘Free the Music’ with the release of its five-key keyboards and accompanying software. The company is set on making the world a more musical place by encouraging everyone to find and express the music inside them, regardless of their profession, training or sensibilities. As such, they needed a unifying visual identity that could reflect Roli’s revolutionary intentions whilst encouraging audiences of all sorts to pick up the keys.

Turning to DixonBaxi, the LA- and London-based design studio has developed a comprehensive brand led by Roli’s strategic maxim as well as the physicality of its products. At its heart, Roli’s logomark epitomises its hero keyboards, made up of five lines to represent not only the five keys of the product but the five gestures one makes when interacting with it: glide, press, strike, lift and slide, which also define the brand’s motion principles. The result is, for a technology-led brand, ultimately tech-avoidant, instead opting for a more tactile aesthetic embedded with motion at its foundation.

Senior designer, Hollie Sanderson, tells us the new identity needed to “align with Roli’s core values while also resonating with a diverse audience,” ranging from Roli learners to seasoned studio professionals. “Through close collaboration with the Roli team and many in-depth discussions,” she continues, “we really got to the heart of understanding our audiences and what drives them,” providing DixonBaxi with the authentic insight they needed. 

As part of the brand identity, DixonBaxi developed Roli’s tone of voice in tandem, creating a direct and welcoming counterpart to the kinetic nature of the visual tone whilst equally cutting through the often jargon-heavy world of music tech. DixonBaxi instead chose to “focus on earnest encouragement and simplicity” which the studio says “cuts through the usual technobabble of music technology and gets to the heart of why people make music”. Speaking simply, the tone embodies the universal language of music, Roli’s connection with musicians and the unpretentious practicality of its products. Likewise, a balanced colour palette – inspired by the Circle of Fifths – further enhances the warmth and immersion of the brand, with rich, dark hues and brighter tones creating a welcoming feel.

“When we kicked off this incredible project, we gathered as a team and asked ourselves: what’s the one song or band that inspires us?” Hollie remembers, stating that nostalgia was the unifying theme across all of their music tastes. “Personal memories attached to music make it meaningful,” Hollie concludes. “This insight became a key source of inspiration for us throughout the project.”