the story

There are many things dangerous in the world. Forest fires, lava, and lightning are natural examples of dangerous occurrences. The word “danger” by definition means “a person or thing that is likely to cause harm or injury.” When looking around us it is easy to find danger, however it is more difficult to translate that danger into something that is tangible.

Take broken glass, for example; one glance and people know not to touch it, not to get near it. It fills people with a sense of unease, and depending on the context of a situation, even dread. So how does the word “danger” translate into a brand for a record label? The design challenge behind a brand with nothing more than a dictionary definition to go off of is uncommon to say the least. Taking twelve simple words and turning them into a brand is the journey behind DNGR and the bag that started it all.

Project Synopsis

Design based in definition. This project was a challenge to take a dictionary definition; a list of words with seemingly no concrete image and no one thing defined by them, and to design a logo and bag based off of it. The word I chose was danger, and through looking at things which were seen as dangerous (lava, lightning, forest fires, broken glass, etc.) I came up with a bold graphic element akin to a shattered window, and a color scheme based off of fire, brimstone, lightning, and smoke.

From that I expanded the bag concept into an applicable brand, one based on a record label that’s not afraid to take risks: DNGR. This label likes to pretend it’s a “bad boy” record label, and doesn’t like playing it safe. The brass want something that is edgy enough for its punk rock and post-hardcore bands while still looking clean enough for a rapper or an off-beat indie artist.

The project’s expansion into a record label built off of the distressed, shattered glass imagery in order to create further graphics which could be utilized in a popup shop or as a background for a promotional logo. A logotype was also developed for the brand, featuring a distressed, “grungy” text meant to pair with the original logo. The original bag was refined and expanded to new styles, including a drawstring bag and a large format bag. Other merch available for the brand popup store include T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats.