Marquee Arts — A Shining Light for the Arts
— Services
- Brand Strategy
- Brand Identity
- Design
- Social Media
- Web Design
- Tone of Voice
Modernising a cultural icon without ignoring its unique heritage
Since its inception in 1979, The Michigan Theater Foundation has been committed to keeping community inspiration alive through the restoration, preservation and programming of historic theatres. The majestic Michigan and State Theatres are at the foundation's centre, both located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Today, the foundation works tirelessly to enrich the lives of its patrons, fostering a deep connection between the arts and the community it serves. As times evolve and artistic landscapes shift, the organisation set about a transformative journey, heralding a new chapter in the organisation’s storied history.
The Challenge
Develop a new name, strategy and visual identity for the Michigan Theater Foundation, its two iconic theatres and the Cinetopia Film Festival.
Below is the transformation from Michigan Theater Foundation to Marquee Arts. In addition to the new name we delivered brand strategy, visual identity & digital presence.
As part of our brand immersion, our team took to the streets of Ann Arbor, taking in the annual art fair and engaging with Michigan locals, visitors and stakeholders at all levels. We were also treated to a full walking tour of the two theatres by CEO Russ Collins.
It was apparent that the foundation itself wasn’t that well known, with the brand architecture creating confusion. What was clear was that both theatres were loved by all and their marquees referred to in one interview as “a beacon for Ann Arbor”.
Using ‘Illumination’ as a brand platform, we modernised the brand’s entire visual identity without ignoring the beautiful heritage of the buildings they preserve and manage.
‘Illumination’ bridges the gap between the past and the future of the brand. It brings magic to the theatre screens and stages, and ignites the iconic marquees on the streets of Ann Arbor.
This became the guiding principle for the new unified corporate name ‘Marquee Arts’ as well as reimagining the brand communications across every single touchpoint.
The Marquee Arts logo is not just a literal representation of illumination but also takes influence from the intersection of the streets where the theatres are located and markings found backstage.
The new typeface, Sequel, was chosen for its bold, cinematic style and the brand’s colour palette is informed by some of the brand’s legacy swatches, but with added vibrancy.
For the two theatre logos, we created individual monograms that capture the unique architectural features of each theatre.
The Michigan Theater uses the arched windows above the marquee as its main point of reference, whereas the State Theatre logo is inspired by the hard angles of its Art Deco aesthetic.
Marquee Arts acts as the corporate umbrella brand for the organisation and, as such, has its own specific look and feel that is used when communicating about the work the foundation is doing or when talking about both theatres.
For the theatres, we developed a design motif & system that’s tied to the unique venues – informed by some of the shapes found within both landmarks. These shapes are used to frame collateral, hold imagery & photography and are graphic representations of the stages and screens in the theatres that transport us to other worlds.
These treatments were then applied to the Cinetopia Film Festival and Not Just For Kids series – both managed by Marquee Arts.
Cinetopia utilises the same lock-up treatment as the theatres, using the Marquee Arts burst as an abstract ‘C’.
Not Just For Kids now has a more structured design approach, utilising the arch devices from the graphic shapes to treat the text.
Finally, the new brand was applied to the Marquee Arts Website resulting in a cleaner, more visually engaging experience.
Using film & event posters for hero assets had left the previous site feeling busy and cluttered, so we opted for a more ‘arthouse’ approach, choosing to use stills from each movie for a more appealing aesthetic.
