Computer Arts - USA (2019-09)

INSIGHT

COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COM

SEPTEMBER 2019

TOM ROYLANCE

Senior graphic designer

http://www.tomroylance.com

MARINA WILLER

Partner, Pentagram

http://www.pentagram.com

The logo is bold, fresh and conveys power.

The power in dance and of the voice is

achieved by, what looks like to me, ripples

caused by an impact. The “o” and “b” lend

themselves well to the disruptive effect. The

“v”... not so much. While not bad, it’s not as

strong and could easily live in a metal band or

maybe an electrician’s logo. The typography

is necessarily simple, but perhaps too generic.

The imagery is seductive and provocative,

not necessarily what you might expect from a

traditional art institution, but that’s why we’re

here isn’t it? I especially like the photos of the

practising dancers as they convey the passion

and hard work that goes into a performance.

Dainty little flowers they are not.

The dramatic imagery and aggressive

logo demands your attention. In application,

the work is open and balanced despite the

almost chaotic layout. It’s clear that OBV

was presented with the opportunity to break

the shackles of stereotype, and grabbed the

opportunity by the horned helmet.

The new brand identity for Opera Ballet

Vlaanderen centres on the institution’s Flemish

name. By focusing on the abbreviation OBV, the

goal was to create a clear, concise symbol; easily

recognised across the world.

There was also a desire to create an identity

that reflected the vitality that came with the

merger of the opera and ballet companies.

While built around typography, the new visual

system is designed to express movement and

transformation, and embrace the transitory

nature of performance art. It’s both a response

and a tribute to the words of ballet director

Larbi Cherkaoui: “Dance is essentially

transience. One movement disappears in

the other. It is a temporary sketch of reality.

Transience is a pacesetter for new hope.”

The key concept of the new identity is

flexibility. The three letters are designed to

appear in a confident way, opening space for

content as a flexible system. OBV is always

accompanied by the full name of the company:

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.

GRAEME MCGOWAN

Creative partner, Jamhot

http://www.thisisjamhot.com

I like this new identity, a lot. The ‘never the

same’ positioning fits nicely with the experience

of watching live performances like opera and

dance. The type’s jarring nature reminds me of

some contemporary dance work I’ve seen, which

have been challenging to watch but ultimately

satisfying, and you get that feeling here.

The application to specific performance

promo pieces conveys a nice sense of movement

and individuality without overpowering the

individual campaign photography. There’s

the required flexibility to fit around different

art direction styles, layouts and formats while

also building a strong and consistent look;

something that’s important when the venue

will be working with both commissioned

images and those supplied by outside

production companies.

I can see this working well over time.

It will enable the organisation to develop a

recognisable arts brand, with the movement

lending itself well to animated formats and

digital idents. Nice work.

What’s the professional verdict on Pentagram’s new identity for the

largest cultural institution in the Flanders region of Belgium?

Focus on: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

REBRAND FOCUS