Bored of using the same old musical gear? Since I visited the Ice Music Festival in Norway, where all the instruments are made of ice, I’ve been fascinated by the sonic possibilities of switching up your apparatus. And that’s exactly what ROLI specialises in: new types of instruments that let you play music in fresh and exciting ways.
Imagine a keyboard that feels more like a squishy, rubbery surface. You can press and bend the keys to make different sounds, just like a string instrument. ROLI also makes other instruments that let you control multiple things at once, such as pitch, loudness, and even how long a sound lasts. This opens up a whole world of possibilities for musicians to create unique and expressive sounds.
Recently, they turned to London-based creative agency DixonBaxi to shape a new identity for the company and unify what was at that point a fragmented brand.
The brief
For over six months, DixonBaxi worked closely with Roland Lamb, ROLI’s founder, on the new identity. The goal was ambitious: to create a brand that unites ROLI’s diverse audiences with a shared belief in music’s power to bring people together.
At the heart of the collaboration was Roland Lamb’s dream of empowering one billion people to make music. Through a collaborative process, DixonBaxi distilled his philosophy, vision and ambitions into a cohesive brand strategy.
Brand strategy
This new strategy was based on the idea of unlocking music’s true potential for people everywhere. This would help create a brand that resonated with everyone from Grammy-winning artists to beginners, investors to professionals.
While these groups are all very different, what unites them is their desire to express themselves, to “free the music” within them.
This insight became the brand’s core idea: ROLI is here to help people express their inner music without the pressure of perfection.
Logo and graphics
Central to the rebrand is a logo that invites people to ‘Free the Music’ and reflects how ROLI has always been about innovation, from reimagining the keyboard with the Seaboard to developing tools that change how we interact with sound.
The new brand identity reflects these ideas through a symbol inspired by five piano keys – a visual representation of musical possibility.
“I’m thrilled that we have crafted such a pure symbol,” says senior designer Jas Welsh. “What excites me most is that we’ve created a brand that feels poetic, elegant, and premium – not like typical tech. Above all, it’s accessible, which was crucial to the project’s success.”
The new identity, rooted in the keyboard motif, expands into an intelligent, tactile system that engages every audience. It purposely uses subtle, tactile colours that depart from the usual vibrant hues of tech brands to create a warm, approachable aesthetic that evokes the experience of playing a ROLI instrument.
Based on cues from the ‘Circle of Fifths’ in music theory, DixonBaxi developed a flexible colour system that adapts to ROLI’s wide range of audiences. Darker, more vivid tones appeal to professional creators, while lighter, playful colours invite learners. This adaptive palette mirrors how musical chords combine to create harmony, reflecting ROLI’s mission to make music accessible to all.
The new brand’s motion language, meanwhile, is inspired by how ROLI’s instruments are defined by their unique gestural controls. The same Five Dimensions of Touch used by musicians to create melodies are reflected in the distinct animation behaviours across ROLI’s marketing and digital experiences.
Tone of voice and naming
When it comes to tone of voice, ROLI’s new voice is warm, encouraging, and direct, cutting through the often technical jargon of music technology. The focus is on simplicity and earnestness, speaking to the heart of why people make music: to connect with themselves and others.
Overall, the new identity unites what had been a fragmented product family. Together with ROLI’s teams, DixonBaxi united two siloed parts of the business and streamlined the product ecosystem, integrating a consistent naming and identity system.
This makes it easier for musicians at every level to find the right tools and feel a connection to the brand. The new logo system, meanwhile, brings cohesion where there was once fragmentation, creating a more sophisticated and unified product experience.
“We are thrilled to have found a brand expression that represents our deep intention to make the world more musical,” says Roland Lamb, co-founder and CEO of ROLI. “This refreshed brand identity positions us to bring to life an exciting roadmap of musical products that utilise our Music Intelligence platform to expand the possibilities of music learning and creation for all, starting with ROLI Airwave.”
