Design works

The 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll

Case Study — Exhibition + Brand Partnership

Overview

In an exclusive partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, RadioShack’s flagship audio brand, Optimus, sponsored a national exhibition built around The 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll. The traveling show featured artifacts from artists and songwriters represented on the list, giving fans a direct connection to the music that defined the genre. The goal was simple: elevate Optimus as a credible, culture‑aligned audio brand in a market dominated by Pioneer, Alpine, and other established competitors.

The Challenge

Optimus had strong products but low cultural presence. Competing brands were already embedded in music culture, while Optimus was still seen primarily as a RadioShack in‑house label. The exhibition needed to shift perception — from private‑label to authentic audio brand — without violating the identities of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or Rolling Stone, who later joined the partnership.

The Approach

We developed two visual directions, each tied to a partner’s brand heritage:

• Optimus + Rock & Roll Hall of Fame A bold, high‑contrast look built around the energy of live music and the physicality of analog audio. This direction anchored the national tour and appeared across promotional materials.

• Rolling Stone Collaboration When Rolling Stone joined the partnership, we created a second look that paid homage to their iconic typography and editorial voice. This version was used for limited‑edition materials and select promotional placements.

Both systems worked together without competing — one grounded in the museum’s authority, the other in Rolling Stone’s cultural legacy.

The Result

The exhibition traveled nationwide and significantly increased Optimus’ visibility. Post‑campaign tracking showed an uptick in brand recognition, recall, and product sales, demonstrating that aligning the brand with authentic music culture created measurable impact.

Special Edition Poster

A typographic poster — exclusive to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame installation in Cincinnati — celebrated the full list of 500 songs. It became one of the most photographed elements of the exhibition and reinforced the connection between Optimus and the history of rock.

My Role

I directed the creative team, which included designers and account executives, and served as the primary liaison between all partners. My responsibility was to maintain brand integrity across Optimus, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Rolling Stone while ensuring all creative work fulfilled the terms of the partnership agreements.