Summer isn’t complete without a trip to Shakespeare’s Globe and the Mark Rylance casting has definitely sold Othello to us! This year, with Michelle Terry taking over as Artistic Director, the announcement was accompanied by the revealment of their new identity for the theatre. We were particularly excited to hear the inspiration and process behind their new logo and season artwork.
From the 20-sided ‘O’ brandmark – literally carved from the wood used to rebuild the Globe and hand printed by a London printmaker – to the strong, simple colour palette of red, white and black derived from early printing processes, all aspects have been carefully thought through. Typographical grid layouts have been inspired by the earliest collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays and the new typeface Effra is an updated version of Caslon Junior created in 1816.
It is pleasing to see such careful thought and experimentation produce such a strong, effective brand without making it over fussy. It has energy, creativity and a strong modern feel which creates a nice juxtaposition with the history that forms its backbone. The ‘logo has no fixed place, but interacts with images’, which results in a refreshing use of a venue logo within the production artwork. It conveys that the venue is integral and an intrinsic part of their productions. We like.
It’s an exciting new brand and we can’t wait to see how it develops over the seasons and we look forward to seeing Michelle Terry’s first season at the helm of an iconic theatrical venue.
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