Sadler's Wells . WildCard Brand identity + marketing literature
Sadler's Wells is the UK's leading dance house, uniquely dedicated to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London audiences. WildCard was a new initiative introduced to allow artists to present the work of their choice. Graphic design agency Superfried had previously developed the brand identity, so after the great success Superfried was briefed to develop the branded collateral for seasons 2 and 3.
Due to the very eclectic mix of performances, it was felt that the use of photography was not the right creative strategy and instead, we should take a more conceptual graphic design approach. With this in mind, inspiration was supplied by my favourite artist, Escher. His 'anything is possible' creations summed up the WildCard initiative perfectly. To convey its eclectic nature an illustration style that enclosed an impossible 3D landscape of meandering paths was developed that also concealed a subtle grid.
The underlying grid enabled content to be easily placed upon the complex background whilst ensuring that the composition always felt clean and balanced. Although the network of paths in the backdrop remained the same from season 2, for season 3 a halftone shading design style was applied to enhance the illusion of depth cleanly and unobtrusively.
After the success of season 1, the client specified they were interested in pushing the brand identity further with the use of bold neon inks. So for season 2, a neon orange was adopted for the litho flyers. However, due to the limited run, the posters would need to be digital. Pantones were no longer an option, so to achieve a vibrant high-impact orange the lettering was applied as a die-cut vinyl. This was effective, but very complex. Consequently, for season 3 a vibrant 100% cyan was employed to ensure efficient consistency.
The second and third seasons even surpassed the first with additional nights scheduled to meet demand. It is great to see that Sadler's WildCard initiative still lives on today.
Project services
- Brand Identity
- Marketing
- Illustration
- Art Direction
- Branding
- Graphic Design
Credits
It was a pleasure to work with Superfried, they were prompt, professional and brought a level of creativity to the project that far exceeded our expectations.
–
Sally Daniels/ Sadler's Wells