Center Theatre Group
Three distinct theaters. One connected identity.
Brand Strategy, Identity Design, Art Direction,
Brand Guidelines
As Center Theatre Group approached its 50th anniversary, the opportunity was to rethink not just its visual identity, but the relationship between the organization and its three iconic theaters: the Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre.
Rather than a traditional umbrella brand, we developed a connected identity system in which each theater could express its own character while contributing to a stronger, more unified Center Theatre Group.
Photo Credit: Alex Pitt.
The inspiration came from theater itself, and the contrasts that define it. Comedy and drama. Light and dark. What happens onstage and what remains hidden behind the curtain.
This interplay between the visible and the unseen became the foundation of the identity. Each mark reveals only the essential elements of its typography, creating a distinctive visual language built around the idea that what we see is only part of the story.
Bold typography and a vibrant, contrasting color palette give each theater its own distinct personality, while a shared visual language creates a recognizable family of identities.
An extensive set of brand guidelines established a flexible system of graphic elements, typography, and color, bringing consistency and character to everything from on-site communications and print to advertising and social media.
Bold typography and a bright, fun, and contrasting color palette gives the CTG identities a new and bold look—and allows them to be distinct from each other. Sharing a similar visual language keeps all of the identities of each theatre in the same family.
An array of graphic elements and colors were established in an extensive set of guidelines to activate the brand across a variety of different channels, from on-site collateral to advertising, and social media.
