Opera Columbus
USER RESEARCH | BRANDING | LOGO DEVELOPMENT | PHOTO & VIDEO ART DIRECTION | BRAND APPLICATION
Making opera accessible to a new generation of art lovers
Opera has an image issue
Our quantitative research found that most young people had a negative perception of opera, describing it as stodgy, dated, overly-formal, intimidating and off-putting. Those who had a positive impression had largely been introduced to and gained an appreciation for the art form through close personal relationships (parents, friends, or romantic partners), or musical training.
When the research was concluded, I knew I faced a unique visual challenge: to not only build a positive impression of Opera Columbus, but also break down existing negative perceptions, To this end, I built the identity around breaking down existing ideas of who an opera lover was “supposed” to be, and envisioning who opera lovers actually are and could be.
Before
After
The Logo
Like any good re-branding, a core part of the Opera Columbus identity is its logo. The old logo was oddly proportioned, and while it evoked sound, singing and a spotlight, it didn’t have anything particularly special to say about Opera Columbus in particular (versus just opera as an art form in general). In designing the new logo I wanted to pay homage to opera’s classic roots while also referencing the forward thinking leadership and performances at Opera Columbus.
The new logo is composed of two elements: the O and the C. TheO is angled backward and blackto reference a musical whole note, and the serious, classical roots of opera. The C is bright raspberry, to reflect the energy and vibrancy of Columbus. The two elements are physically linked to reinforce the influence Columbus as a bright, diverse and innovative city has on opera as an art form, and also to find harmony in the tension between the old perceptions of opera with the exciting current reality and future. Finally, the logo is a combination of a classic serif and a modern sans serif, to underscore the harmony that can be achieved with balance between old art forms and modern innovation.
Brand Application & Extension
One of the biggest challenges facing arts organizations is that due to timelines, most of the images captured of performances happen very close to the final performance (in a final dress rehearsal, for example) so there are rarely images to use in marketing materials in order to build excitement. In order to provide Opera Columbus with a flexible kit of parts that could be used for performances as broad & varied as those in their season, I developed a pattern based on the architecture of the Southern Theater (their home, and a Columbus gem), and then extended the pattern into a system of icons. The icons combined vintage, open-source photography with the bold, modern graphic from the pattern to further illustrate the juxtaposition between old and new started in the logo.
This juxtaposition & harmony is continued throughout the system by utilizing a “split” technique of photographs and an overlay of the graphic pattern. Faces are split down the middle and re-combined in unexpected ways to highlight the diverse and interesting audience of the opera, and then overlaid with the pattern for balance, continuity and harmony.
Brand Video
To announce the new brand & positioning, I was able to work with Mills James to Art Direct a brand video, and Circa Media to commission a custom piece of music (heard in the background).
2018 Gala Video
In order to further illustrate the forward thinking performances and unique opportunities Opera Columbus is creating, I worked with Doozy Crew to Art Direct the above video.
