Project Info

Oda— An Instrument for Live Music

CHALLENGE

Music is one of humanity’s most powerful creations — it meets us at our emotional center. Like all great art, it both inspires and reflects the times we live in. However, many musicians usually older or living with disabilities suffer from ongoing and ruthless modern exposure problems, faced with digital social media challenges. Many obstacles are in the way for very esteemed talented musicians. It is often difficult for these musicians at a disadvantage to put on large shows and often their beautiful creations are missed by a mass audience who wants to experience their music but also are not given the platform to consume it. Oda is not an easy to perceive product. It's "two wooden speakers connected on a string" that plays live music. Oda comes with a thoughtfully curated programming schedule that entails a membership. When using wooden speakers, the music is crisp like you'd hear from a wooden instrument. The Oda speakers connect on bluetooth and can only play Oda's programming. If you miss it, it's gone. Oda is like a "Peloton for live music". People crave the intimacy and connection with musicians through live music. The age of Spotify, streaming and on-demand music feels disconnecting and inpersonal. Oda's aim is to bring the warmthness and intimacy of live music in the comfort of your own home.

SOLUTION

The design challenge faces obstacles in helping customers understand the value of the product (wooden speakers), monthly programming, and membership. I began by collaborating and having conversations with the artists (Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Laraaji, DJ Pytyhon & LA Warman) to understand their story and how they want to express their sound and music through Oda. The product is really backed by the humanity of these talented artists. The brand and its founders deeply care about ethics and transparency in fair pay to artists and what that means for a start-up. The work's heart lies in new digital, sonic, and typographic experimentation. The whimsical characters and scribbles express the immediate changing form of music and set times. All now better designed to evoke the rich emotional range of music across an always-changing media and digital landscape.