vierviertel designs a powerful appearance for Cologne’s theater
A new era began with the current season at the Theater im Bauturm: after 21 years, Gerhardt Haag handed over the management of the theater to Laurenz Leky, Bernd Schlenkrich and Dr. René Michaelsen. As an agency, we too have been working with the traditional Cologne theater for 16 years. We are therefore all the more delighted that the new directors have once again entrusted us with the corporate design relaunch. It was particularly exciting for us to take a fresh look at the personality of the cultural institution – with the colorful history of the theater in mind, but open to all new possibilities.
Radical is the keyword that has accompanied us throughout the entire development phase. Radically clear, radically simple was the brief. We started with a logo that is almost astonishing in its obviousness: it is straightforward, clear, reduced to its core. The “T in the B” stands powerfully for itself and needs no further explanation. It works just as well in small image sizes as it does as a graffiti stencil.
The clear edge runs through the entire corporate design. The long-standing corporate color red has been refreshed and now appears even more vibrant. All means of communication – whether posters, signage or even beer mats – are united by a reduction to the essentials: in the composition, in the color scheme, in the typography. The minimalist design also serves to make the advertising material recognizable and easy to understand, because as a cultural institution, the theater cannot initiate blanket campaigns.
We as an agency are proud to have convinced the new theater management of our “stage qualities” and are happy about the successful new start!
