# Creating a Bold Brand for a Gig Booking Platform

> Source: https://layers.studio/work/gig-lab

Branding a platform that makes booking gigs easier for promoters and venues

**Year:** 2024

**Client:** Ghostwriter, Gig lab

**Industry:** Live Events

**What We Delivered:** Branding

## Introduction

Ghostwriter Consultancy & Events, an event promotion collective with deep roots in the live music scene, approached us with a clear mission: to improve how promoters and venues connect and collaborate when booking gigs. They saw a gap in the market — promoters were juggling outdated tools, venues were missing out on opportunities, and both sides struggled to connect efficiently.

To fix this, the idea was to create a digital product that would bring promoters and venues together in one intuitive space. However, turning the idea into a viable platform meant starting with building a brand. A name that made sense, an identity that resonated, and a story that would inspire both users and investors.

That’s where we came in. Layers Studio was brought on board to shape the strategy, name, and visual identity from the ground up — giving this ambitious platform a bold, confident entry into the market.

## Challenge

The initial working title — “Helix” — was technically sound but emotionally flat. It lacked relevance to the live events industry and required too much explanation. There was also no existing visual identity or design language, which meant we were starting from a blank slate.

The challenge was two-fold:

1. Create a brand that feels intuitive and inspiring to venues and promoters who are used to outdated, clunky systems.


2. Build trust with investors by presenting a vision that was well-considered, professional, and market-ready.

We needed to create something memorable, functional, and authentic—without falling into the trap of generic tech branding.

## Brand Workshop

A brand workshop is a great way to get everyone’s ideas out there and start shaping the brand’s direction. We spent time diving into the different personas of the people who’d interact with the platform from promoters to venue managers, and more. We even thought of the brand as a movie character, this helped us explore its human qualities and gave us a clearer sense of its personality. This allowed us to assign brand archetypes, which became key in defining the brand's personality and tone moving forward.

## Brand Foundations

After the discovery workshop, we review the findings and compile them into a clear set of brand foundations. These foundations serve as a tool to align everyone on the brand’s meaning, personality, and tone of voice. First, we define the brand’s purpose, answering ‘why it exists,’ ‘how it works,’ and ‘what it is’. Next is the brand story, this is to help you understand your overarching story. It’s the narrative that helps customers understand who you are, why you exist and what you do. Finally is the positioning statement. This statement is a concise description of your target market as well as a compelling picture of how you want that market to perceive your brand.

## Naming

With the brand foundations in place, we moved on to the naming process. We explored themes around venues and control, including names inspired by stage directions like ‘Backstage,’ ‘Sidestage,’ and ‘Centerstage.’ We also looked at names that captured a sense of synchronisation, tying them to musical terms like ‘In Tune’ and ‘Harmony.’ In the end, we landed on the name ‘Gig Lab’—a more literal, descriptive option that clearly communicates what the platform does.

## Visual Brand

After presenting a range of concepts—from modern and minimal to bold and retro—the client gravitated toward the more impactful, icon-based designs. The final logo mark is a vibrant, stylised ‘GIG’ built from mirrored letterforms within a hexagonal shape. The split-colour palette gives it a dynamic, layered feel that reflects the collaborative and multifaceted nature of the platform. It’s bold, memorable, and flexible enough to work across different platforms and applications.

## Result

We named the platform Gig Lab — a name that’s easy to say, instantly relevant, and positions the platform as a space where better, smarter gig planning happens. It’s short, sticky, and packed with meaning.

From there, we built a bold, cohesive visual identity that moved away from the sterile aesthetic of typical SaaS tools. The brand system combined vibrant colours, clean layouts, and a confident tone of voice — designed to energise users and signal a fresh alternative in the live events space.

The brand gave Gig Lab:

- A strong launch presence to attract early adopters


- The clarity and confidence to pitch to investors


- A visual and verbal identity system that flowed into product design

Most importantly, it provided a unified foundation for both marketing and product — ensuring consistency and impact at every touchpoint.

## Why It Matters

Branding is strategic groundwork for business success. At Layers, we combine creativity with clarity and aren’t afraid to ask the right questions early on. For Gig Lab, this meant laying a strong foundation that positioned them not just as a product, but as a serious player in the live events space — helping the team step into the market with confidence.

> “I absolutely would recommend Layers to anybody who is looking to develop an idea, to get some input on their UX UI designs of the product that they’re trying to build, or whether it’s a full service that we’ve gone for, its second to none, so i really would say reach out”

Victoria Smith, Founder, Gig Lab