The District
Cambridge
ABOUT
Just over 25 years ago, Britten Sinfonia were established as a bold reimagining
of the conventional image of an orchestra. A flexible ensemble comprising of
the UK’s leading soloists and chamber musicians came together with a unique
vision: to collapse the boundaries between old and new music, to collaborate with
composers, conductors and guest artists across the arts, focussing on the musicians
rather than following the vision of a principal conductor; and to create involving,
intelligent music events that both audiences and performers experience with an
unusual intensity. The District were briefed to develop a new brand identity that
was a much stronger reflection of their ideology and output and reflected their
sonic and visual power and diversity across multiple channels.
The newly developed brand identity is a strong reflection of their dynamism and
difference. Classic geometric shapes converge and collide to create new forms
representative of the breadth and diversity of Britten Sinfonia’s programme and
their trailblazing approach to collaboration. The free-flowing colour palette acts
as an identifier for the broad range of events, with varying levels of contrast
depending on the audience. Its multi-channel application embraces sound and
movement to add further layers to this multi-sensory identity.
Ahead of planned surveys that will deliver quantifiable findings, anecdotal
evidence for positive impact is strong. From peers within the industry there has
been significant feedback and unanimously it is very well liked. The pervading
opinion expressed is that it is very different to anything they’ve seen in the
sector. Given the radical shift that this brand represents it has been incredibly
well received by both stalwart Britten Sinfonia fans and new audiences alike.
Interestingly its warm reception transcends age, with students lovingly pinning
up the printed pieces as art, and many older people going out of their way to
congratulate Britten Sinfonia on this new manifestation of their brand. In terms
of audiences, they have had a very successful start to the season since the new
brand launched, with for example a double sell out (4000 people) coming to their
first big Barbican event of the season. Surveys to gather quantitative feedback
are currently being planned.
MADEIT CREDITS
Annual 2020 BronzeBritten Sinfonia 2019-20Branding
Project featured: on 24th January 2020
Contributor:
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The District has been a Contributor since 25th November 2015.
CLIENT REVIEW
The District were (and still are) a joy to work with. They got under the skin of our brand so quickly and it felt like they were able to inhabit our space effortlessly, even though (and for us this was a strength) they haven't worked with an orchestra before and don't have any particular specialism within our sector. Over many years of working with some great designers, I've subconsciously come to expect to be inspired by the "talking" process and then vaguely disappointed by the Great Reveal Moment - maybe, I'd come to think, there really are only so many ways to represent an orchestra visually, and they've all been done. This was different. We could have chosen any one of the concepts that The District came up with, and what united all of the visual routes was that they were completely different from anything we'd seen elsewhere in our sector: fresh, original and playful, but also relevant to who we'd defined ourselves as. The reaction internally and externally to the final identity has been all and more than we hoped when we first saw the concept: we feel newly proud of ourselves and like the distinctive market leader that we strive to be artistically. The irony is that The District's offices are literally around the corner from our own, so we are also neighbours. And they've been flexible, and they've listened to us, and we've laughed far more than you should at work: it's felt like a real partnership. I'd recommend them to anyone.
Communications Director at Britten Sinfonia
23 Jan 2020