Building a World With No Budget

Visual identity and motion design for an independent electronic music project

Mission

Insectonaut is a solo electronic music project blending techno, ambient, dub, and DIY experimentation. With no existing audience or marketing budget, the goal was to create a distinctive visual identity that could introduce the project to new listeners and support organic discovery.

Outcome

Acting as creative director, designer, and motion artist, I created a flexible visual system spanning logo design, album and track artwork, and short-form promotional video. The system was designed to establish tone, narrative, and recognition across music platforms and social channels.

Impact

The project launched with a cohesive visual presence across platforms, including Bandcamp, supported by seven short-form promotional videos. Early engagement and track purchases validated the creative direction and established a foundation for future releases.

View on Bandcamp

The Goal

Translate themes of contrast, scale, and exploration into a visual language that felt curious and human, without relying on familiar sci-fi clichés.

The Challenge

Early concepts leaned too literal. The risk was creating something visually loud but emotionally shallow.

The Decision

The final identity pairs a clean sans serif with an italic serif treated with a subtle halftone blur, creating tension.

The Execution

The album Terranova: Phase 01 introduces the project’s first chapter. I used Midjourney as a rapid concept exploration tool, drawing inspiration from hand-painted 1970s science-fiction book covers. Selected imagery was refined and extended in Photoshop for consistency across formats.

Each of the nine tracks received its own artwork, combining hand-illustration with targeted AI-assisted exploration, including medieval manuscript and microscopic visual styles.

To promote the release, I produced seven 30-second social videos inspired by Radiohead’s promotional “blips,” mixing analog textures, glitch effects, surreal footage, and original video. Motion design and editing were completed in After Effects.

The Result

Insectonaut launched with a recognizable visual language that could evolve over time. The project demonstrates how strong art direction, narrative thinking, and fast iteration can create impact without paid media or large budgets.

Track Art Work