Design, Branding, Illustration, Food
Design, Branding, Illustration, Food
Roles: Identity Design, Brand Art Direction, Photography Art Direction, Communications Design
After spending nearly twenty years at the forefront of Canadian independent theatre, Soulpepper Theatre Company, based out of the historic Distillery District in Toronto, found itself ready to reimagine its brand and reposition itself for decades to come. With a powerful change in Artistic and Executive Directors, the company devoted new attention to fostering a deepened connection between telling stories that connect all communities. With a new mandate to share both timeless and modern stories, Soulpepper was oriented towards a brave new future.
The Wordmark The new visual identity had to reflect both the brand essence and the need to force a change in perspective – to signal outwardly, the massive changes in the organization internally. The mark was designed with the idea of the opening of stage curtains in mind: that moment of magic when a viewer is transported from one reality to another. This simple visual device is paired with a mark that is set in two contrasting fonts to represent both timeless and modern voices. Communication & Main Stage Season Art Work With a new brand and visual identity system established, Soulpepper then needed a new visual system for their Communications and to rethink their renowned show art for the upcoming season, which was themed “Breaking Ground”. For the previous decade Soulpepper had always hired an illustrator per season to develop a cohesive set of artworks to promote each show over the course of a year - but as a way to signal a shift in the organizations perspective, they decided to make another change. The the art direction for this new artwork sought to use manipulated photography in order to highlight a particular psychological for each of the play’s protagonists.
*** Bonus points for the powerful Danielle Matar, the very excellent Toronto-Based photographer: http://daniellematar.com/