In a great move that takes us back to when we all first started getting into this heartless industry, local agency Boxing Clever has introduced to us Boxing Clever Records. The reason it takes us down memory lane is because we can imagine having a conversation with our graduating classmates about how we'd one day create a killer ad agency and, what the hell, maybe we'll start our own record label in the agency even though it doesn't make sense?
We applaud BC for keeping the hope alive and creating an entity that doesn't have a product sneakily behind the entire effort. These self-started ideas are definitely the road all creatives (& agencies) should be looking at in the immediate future. It's high time we started applying our creativity to our own, self-funded projects.
What inspires an ad agency to create its own record label? For St. Louis’ own Boxing Clever, it’s simply a love of music. It’s a passion project that showcases design and the diverse (in some cases, snobby) musical tastes of the entire team. Boxing Clever Records launched its first release this week, with five more to come over the course of a year.
Agency ECD Jim Harper created the overall visual style of the label and fashioned the look of all of Boxing Clever Records’ collateral. The agency art directors each get a turn to share their considerable design talents on a release.
Pressed on classic 7-inch vinyl in a limited run of 500, each release features one song by two emerging artists. The first pressing spotlights Chicago’s energetic indie rock performers A*Star and the dark wave synthrock of UK-based Blindness. Boxing Clever CD Jake Houvenagle contributed the design of the first release and STL’s All Along Press produced the letterpressed and silkscreened packaging. Enter boxingcleverrecords.com to see upcoming releases, killer design, merch and a custom record player listening station.
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