Lights Up
Theatre Season Announcement
Brief
Problem:
Professional contemporary theatre company is staging its inaugural productions in its new building, the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, alongside all-new community and educational programs.
Solution:
The Act Two: Lights Up promotion would focus the new building, new shows, and new programming in specific mediums for specific audiences. The visual design would be an extension of Act One: End Scene, but would utilize lightness and whimsy over darkness and drama.
Opportunity:
Utilize and expand the pre-existing design for the company's transition across print and digital mediums, tailored to specific audiences depending on medium.
Goals:
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Appeal to theater's longstanding, loyal patron base and a broader theatre and geographical community.
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Utilize the theater's history of unusual storytelling to draw attention and capture imagination.
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Create a cohesive set of print and digital products for new shows and programs alike.
Role:
Creative Direction, Art Direction, Design
Year:
2018
Category:
Promotion
Direction
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Lights Up should build on a foundation established by End Scene, not just exist as a continuation.
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Print products needed to serve three different audiences: the Phoenix Theatre's existing patrons, individuals with a loyalty to Mass Ave and local businesses, and theater enthusiasts. Digital materials would be used primarily for Phoenix patrons.
Design
Parameters
End Scene was the kick-off point for Lights Up's design, meaning we would adhere to many of the same design decisions. Budget would limit the number of print products available to us for creation and distribution.
Colors
While the palette remind the same for Lights Up, to set it apart and give it a feeling of newness and cleanliness, a white-heavy layout was used, with black limited to text and photography only. A shade of dark red and a shade of light gray were introduced in order to use small design elements with low contrast.
Photography
While End Scene targeted Phoenix Theatre patrons and sought to draw on shows in recent memory for its appeal, Lights Up had a broader target. Production photos were chosen for their fun, mystery, and quirkiness to capitalize on the unusual productions Phoenix Theatre is committed to.
Font
Futura was combined with Futura Condensed in a few circumstances, to conserve space but also to add another dynamic element to the design that wouldn't feel overwhelming.
Print Products
Printing was limited to the same three primary print products that the Phoenix has used for shows in the past: brochures, postcards, and posters. Brochures would be more patron-based, kept at the theater itself or mailed out. Posters would be used in businesses in target areas, specifically the area of the Phoenix's pre-existing home and new home. Postcards would be left in stacks at other theaters and arts facilities with whom Phoenix Theatre had an existing relationship, but their front design should serve as a mini-poster for locations without the space for full-sized posters.
