Bell Shakespeare unveils new brand

To launch its 20th Anniversary season in 2010, theatre company Bell Shakespeare has unveiled a new identity that hopes to redefine its brand and set it apart within the competitive arts space.

Developed by Moon Communications Group, part of STW Group, the rebrand incorporates a new logo and a range of new materials for Bell Shakespeare’s 2010 season including photography, marketing collateral and merchandise.

To develop the new brand strategy, Moon undertook a brand workshop with key Bell Shakespeare stakeholders, surveys among staff, as well as a competitor analysis to get a “strong sense of where Bell Shakespeare lay, not only within the arts space, but across all entertainment offerings within the marketplace,” said Moon’s MD Anouk Darling.

“We immersed ourselves within Bell Shakespeare and the broader arts space to ensure we had the strongest understanding of the organisation, and how it was perceived,” she said.

“This was crucial in developing the brand strategy and positioning for Bell Shakespeare that has been the stepping-stone for the new logo, master brand identity, and recommended architecture for their sub-brands and programs.”

Bell Shakespeare uses the works of Shakespeare and other classic texts to explore contemporary life, providing the company with a unique offer. Darling continued: “This certainly played an integral role in defining the positioning, and also a primary influence in the creation of the brand identity.”

“The mirroring treatment used in the new brand identity is suggestive of the company’s role in presenting such works – presenting their interpretation of these texts with imagination, intelligence and courage."

To create impact specifically for the 2010 season, Moon also developed a verbal tone for Bell Shakespeare not seen in the arts category previously.

The campaign aims to excite its loyal audience and attract new audience segments, through communicating Bell Shakespeare’s point of different, and the contemporary relevance of its productions.

The new identity has also been applied to Bell Shakespeare’s 2010 Learning Programme, which offers performances, masterclasses and scholarship opportunities to teachers and students across Australia.

“The learning programme must contain content relevant to students and teachers alike,” Darling explained.

To coincide with the season launch, Bell Shakespeare has also re-launched its website, with digital agency, Deepend, translating the new branding to the web.

Credits:
Strategic Planner: Daye Rigg, Moon Group
Creative: Chris Doyle and Linda Jukic, Moon Group
Photographer: Gary Heery
Stylist: Sacha de Vries
Web Agency: Deepend
Studio & Marketing Co-ordinator: Ruvani Perumal