Contour Radio
Visual identity / Design reviewNovember 2026

Contour Radio.

Hi Claire,

Following the brief, our conversations and the references we looked through together, we’ve developed three visual directions for Contour Radio.

Each one pairs a logo with a system for mixes, podcasts and guest sets.

How to read this review

Start with the marks, then see how each idea carries across episode artwork and artist features. The episode copy repeats across the examples so you can compare the layout, type and imagery directly. The three formats share the same width on screen.

Direction 01 / 03The quarter-circle in space

Quarter Turn

A quarter-turn brings C and R together. Start with a ring divided into four. Rotate the lower-right quarter anticlockwise and the same curved piece forms the leg of the R. That quarter-circle becomes the recurring shape in the artwork. It can hang over a landscape, throw coloured light across a room or sit behind an artist in a portrait.

Black on white
White on black
Typography / Specimen

General Sans

Open, evenly weighted letterforms keep titles and episode details legible against photographic imagery.

Fontshare ↗
Contour Radio
Colour / Samples from the posts

Colour studies

The type picks up bright hues from the segment in the darker scenes and softens to blush against the warm landscape.

Desert crop
  • TypeBlush#FBC8DF
  • Artwork baseDark rock#3A1A10
  • Artwork accentMagenta#A00047
Green passage
  • TypeAcid green#56F937
  • Artwork baseConcrete#262624
  • Artwork accentReflection#559925
Coastal glow
  • TypeSignal orange#E96603
  • Artwork baseCharcoal#1E1E1E
  • Artwork accentAmber#DC8200
A / Applications

Episode artwork

The quarter-circle moves between a bold crop and a physical object in the scene. Most versions anchor the copy at the upper left. The mountain study tests a centred stack.

B / Applications

Artist features

The same segment frames the portrait. A restrained palette ties the type and wordmark to the photograph while leaving the artist’s face clear.

Direction 02 / 03Layers in the mix

Strata

Stacked C and R initials give the mark a vertical silhouette. Parallel lines build each letter in layers, like the percussion, bass and atmosphere that build up in a mix. In the artwork, the same idea becomes overlapping gradients and ribbed contours. With an artist in the frame, those layers carry into the silhouette.

Black on white
White on black
Typography / Specimen

Big Shoulders

Tall, condensed letterforms give the episode title and genre a strong presence within a narrow column.

Google Fonts ↗
LOW LIGHT
Colour / Samples from the posts

Colour studies

Dark type anchors the lighter layers. On the dusk artwork, pale coral comes forward against the deep violet.

Pastel contours
  • TypeDeep plum#502C32
  • Artwork basePeach#FFCEAE
  • Artwork accentSoft sage#B2B4A3
Sage ribs
  • TypeDark moss#1B2519
  • Artwork baseSage#70A793
  • Artwork accentPale mint#B7D3C1
Dusk layers
  • TypePale coral#FFCCBE
  • Artwork baseInk violet#100815
  • Artwork accentDusty rose#8F4250
A / Applications

Episode artwork

The left column carries the episode title, mix credit and genre. The right repeats the large mark, series description, SoundCloud link and invitation to follow.

B / Applications

Artist features

The two-column grid holds while the portrait takes centre stage. Colour and a second exposure through the clothing bring the guest into the same layered world.

Direction 03 / 03Rhythm in motion

Resonance

A single C is drawn from repeated strokes and turned in perspective. The compressed lines make the mark shift between a flat letter and a form in space. That rhythm expands into the artwork as concentric bands, arcs and light trails. Across flat graphics and more sculptural forms, the repeated curves suggest a vibration travelling through the frame.

Black on white
White on black
Typography / Specimen

Big Shoulders

Condensed capitals hold their shape against high-contrast artwork and leave room for smaller episode details.

Google Fonts ↗
CONTOUR RADIO
Colour / Samples from the posts

Colour studies

Bright title colours sit against the darker end of each image. Indigo, violet and plum come from the bands and light trails.

Cobalt sweep
  • TypeVermilion#FF4920
  • Artwork baseBlack#000000
  • Artwork accentIndigo#535086
Spectral rings
  • TypeLemon#FFF159
  • Artwork baseDeep teal#16232A
  • Artwork accentViolet#4A3D78
Magenta afterimage
  • TypeOrchid#E27DBA
  • Artwork baseAubergine#210310
  • Artwork accentPlum#431143
A / Applications

Episode artwork

Episode information sits at the upper left. A strip along the bottom holds the mark, series information and listening details, leaving the centre to the pattern.

B / Applications

Artist features

The repeated curves become coloured trails around each artist. Face, pose and light give each cover a different energy within the same grid.

After the review

Making it yours.

Which mark feels most like Contour Radio? Which artwork would you want to build a series around? Feel free to point to individual variants or tell us which elements you’d carry forward.

01 / Choose a direction

Refine the identity

Develop the chosen mark, type hierarchy and image treatment as a coherent system.

02 / Prepare templates

Make it editable

Set up editable Figma layouts for the square cover, the Instagram feed post and the Reels cover. Update the copy and replace the artwork for each new mix or guest.

03 / Extend the artwork

Keep the series growing

If helpful, we can put together reference images and a prompt for generating new backgrounds that follow the chosen visual direction.