CASE STUDY — Edtech startup

Instrux Music

Instrux Music

Brand strategy

Visual Identity

Messaging

Web design

Platform direction

A music education platform came to us needing a little marketing support. What we found when we looked closer was a product that had outgrown its name, its brand, and its story. So we rebuilt all three from the ground up.

STRATEGY • case Overview

PJ didn't come to us for a rebrand. He came to us for salespeople.

He wanted help promoting Live Music Tutor — social media, outreach, someone to help move the product. And on the surface, that's a reasonable ask. He had a platform, he had a vision, and he needed people to help him sell it.

But the more we learned about what he was actually trying to build, the more obvious it became that selling Live Music Tutor harder wasn't the answer. The product was consumer-facing. The model was built around individual lesson bookings. And PJ's real ambition — getting the platform into schools, working with music educators and studios at scale — had almost nothing to do with what the existing company was designed to do.

We weren't going to be his salespeople. But we could do something more valuable.

We told him what we saw. The B2B opportunity was real, but chasing it under the Live Music Tutor brand meant dragging the wrong first impression into every room. The name alone was working against him. Everything about the existing brand communicated individual consumers and private lessons, not institutional partnerships and educator platforms.

The recommendation wasn't a refresh. It was a restart.

That's not an easy thing to hear when you've already invested time and money into something. PJ was hesitant (understandably so). Starting over meant building a new company from scratch, finding a developer, reworking the entire business model. It was a significant leap of faith built almost entirely on our read of the opportunity and his trust in our judgment.

He took it.

We named the company Instrux Music — a name built for the B2B world, credible to educators and administrators, and free from the consumer associations that had been quietly limiting the old brand. Then we built everything around that name: the visual identity, the messaging, the positioning, the voice. All of it designed to speak directly to the schools and music studios PJ had always wanted to reach, in a language they'd actually respond to.

The developer came together. The platform took shape. And for the first time, the brand and the business model were actually pointing in the same direction.

STRATEGY • case Overview

keep reading

PJ didn't come to us for a rebrand. He came to us for salespeople.

He wanted help promoting Live Music Tutor — social media, outreach, someone to help move the product. And on the surface, that's a reasonable ask. He had a platform, he had a vision, and he needed people to help him sell it.

But the more we learned about what he was actually trying to build, the more obvious it became that selling Live Music Tutor harder wasn't the answer. The product was consumer-facing. The model was built around individual lesson bookings. And PJ's real ambition — getting the platform into schools, working with music educators and studios at scale — had almost nothing to do with what the existing company was designed to do.

We weren't going to be his salespeople. But we could do something more valuable.

We told him what we saw. The B2B opportunity was real, but chasing it under the Live Music Tutor brand meant dragging the wrong first impression into every room. The name alone was working against him. Everything about the existing brand communicated individual consumers and private lessons, not institutional partnerships and educator platforms.

The recommendation wasn't a refresh. It was a restart.

That's not an easy thing to hear when you've already invested time and money into something. PJ was hesitant (understandably so). Starting over meant building a new company from scratch, finding a developer, reworking the entire business model. It was a significant leap of faith built almost entirely on our read of the opportunity and his trust in our judgment.

He took it.

We named the company Instrux Music — a name built for the B2B world, credible to educators and administrators, and free from the consumer associations that had been quietly limiting the old brand. Then we built everything around that name: the visual identity, the messaging, the positioning, the voice. All of it designed to speak directly to the schools and music studios PJ had always wanted to reach, in a language they'd actually respond to.

The developer came together. The platform took shape. And for the first time, the brand and the business model were actually pointing in the same direction.

STRATEGY • case Overview

PJ didn't come to us for a rebrand. He came to us for salespeople.

He wanted help promoting Live Music Tutor — social media, outreach, someone to help move the product. And on the surface, that's a reasonable ask. He had a platform, he had a vision, and he needed people to help him sell it.

But the more we learned about what he was actually trying to build, the more obvious it became that selling Live Music Tutor harder wasn't the answer. The product was consumer-facing. The model was built around individual lesson bookings. And PJ's real ambition — getting the platform into schools, working with music educators and studios at scale — had almost nothing to do with what the existing company was designed to do.

We weren't going to be his salespeople. But we could do something more valuable.

We told him what we saw. The B2B opportunity was real, but chasing it under the Live Music Tutor brand meant dragging the wrong first impression into every room. The name alone was working against him. Everything about the existing brand communicated individual consumers and private lessons, not institutional partnerships and educator platforms.

The recommendation wasn't a refresh. It was a restart.

That's not an easy thing to hear when you've already invested time and money into something. PJ was hesitant (understandably so). Starting over meant building a new company from scratch, finding a developer, reworking the entire business model. It was a significant leap of faith built almost entirely on our read of the opportunity and his trust in our judgment.

He took it.

We named the company Instrux Music — a name built for the B2B world, credible to educators and administrators, and free from the consumer associations that had been quietly limiting the old brand. Then we built everything around that name: the visual identity, the messaging, the positioning, the voice. All of it designed to speak directly to the schools and music studios PJ had always wanted to reach, in a language they'd actually respond to.

The developer came together. The platform took shape. And for the first time, the brand and the business model were actually pointing in the same direction.

Branding • scroll → to view

Instrux Music brand identity overview slide covering mission, vision, tone, and voice
Music student watching an online lesson on laptop alongside Instrux Music's mission and vision statements
Instrux Music brand tone and voice chart showing voice traits (Advocate, Partner, Guide) and tone spectrum (Benefit-Led, Straightforward, Warm Professionalism)
Instrux Music visual identity overview slide covering color palette, logo marks, and typography
Instrux Music brand color palette diagram mapping navy, lapis blue, sky blue, chartreuse, and soft white to brand values like trust, openness, and energy
Instrux Music wordmark design breakdown showing the dot and break motif, custom S form, and overall logo balance
Instrux Music IS logomark design breakdown showing the curved I, angular S form, and how the icon pairs with the full wordmark
Instrux Music full logo suite showing primary wordmark, combination mark, standalone logomark, powered-by lockup, and app icon variations

Website + Platform Design

Website Design + Platform Direction

A huge part of what made this work was Gusein Ismaiylov. If you're looking for a talented full-stack developer, we'd point you his way without hesitation.

Connect with Gusein on LinkedIn

creative assets • scroll → to view

"Working with Fallon Heady and Molly Durchholz during the formation and launch of Instrux Music was one of the most valuable decisions we made early on.

As a SaaS platform built for music instructors and studios, we needed more than just marketing support — we needed clarity around our brand, positioning, customer experience, and how the product should be presented from the very beginning. Fallon and Molly brought a rare combination of strategic thinking, creativity, and execution that helped shape Instrux Music into a much stronger company.

From branding and messaging to strategy development and wireframing, they helped translate ideas into a clear, cohesive vision that aligned with both our mission and our users. Their ability to ask the right questions, simplify complex concepts, and keep momentum moving forward made a significant impact throughout the process. What stood out most was how invested they were in helping us build something meaningful. They approached the project like true partners, not just consultants.

I’m incredibly grateful for the role they played in helping launch Instrux Music and would highly recommend Fallon and Molly to any founder or company looking for thoughtful, strategic marketing leadership during a critical stage of growth."

– PJ Schitter

Founder, Instrux Music

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We find the common thread running through your business. Then build everything around it.

© 2025 Common Thread Co. All rights reserved.

We find the common thread running through your business. Then build everything around it.

© 2025 Common Thread Co. All rights reserved.

We find the common thread running through your business. Then build everything around it.

© 2025 Common Thread Co. All rights reserved.