MySpace Music Romeo
posted September 26 2010
Pretty much the dream job, Myspace International asked We Are Hunted to design and develop a new music iPad app. Charged with branding and interface design, JM:Studio was more than happy to take on this exciting opportunity. The only stipulation: it can't look like MySpace.
Working along side the development team behind We Are Hunted, the result was an intelligent app dedicated to music discovery. The app 'learns' who you are by asking you to select what mood you are in, what genre you like, or by clicking the 'love' icon when you hear a tune that turns you on. The name Romeo informed the interaction and design the whole way, with clean lines and simple icons resonating throughout the whole experience. The main branding device, the heart -- whilst an obvious and iconic choice -- forms a window into the genre the user loves, as well as being the primary icon to denote ‘love’ when using the app.
Initially, we commissioned artist Cody Willins to paint life-like images of famous musicians representing each music genre. He did an amazing job (see Jay-Z and Lily Allen), but we were unable to use such famous personalities for launch. We then illustrated local indie band, 'Moses Gunn Collective', and this illustration will feature on the Australian launch of the app (TBA).
Romeo launched on the USA itunes app store in August and received an awesome response. It has continued to be hugely loved, remaining in the top 10 must-have music apps ever since.
