Classic. Unclassified.
Founded in 1881, The Boston Symphony Orchestra is considered to be one of the Top 10 orchestras in the world. The prestigious institution has been led by great conductors including Erich Leinsdorf, Seiji Ozawa and its current Music Director Andris Nelsons. It has recorded iconic film scores like Schindler’s List and has hosted music luminaries like Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, The Who, Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin. To celebrate the continued evolution of this great American institution, we created a new visual identity for all four of the BSO brands- The BSO, The Boston Pops, Tanglewood and Symphony Hall- with the goal of modernizing the organization and making it accessible to a more diverse audience.
CLIENT: Boston Symphony Orchestra
BRANDS: BSO, Boston Pops, Tanglewood & Symphony Hall.
MEDIA: Brand Identity, Strategy, Brand Architecture
[fig A]: COLOR.
The color palette was derived from the historical lineage of the brand, alongside modern influences and the need to differentiate the four factions of the BSO. Blue for the Boston Symphony Orchestra- a foundational color way for decades. Red for the Boston Pops- with nods to Americana and holiday festivities. Green for Tanglewood- an homage to the lush foliage and natural setting in Lenox, MA. And gold for Symphony Hall- based on the gilded brass and brick textures of the iconic building.
[fig B]: ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCE.
The BSO’s most prolific performances can be traced to three physical institutions- the historic Symphony Hall (McKim, Mead and White, Architects. 1900) in Boston, The Hatch Shell (Richard J. Hall, Architect. 1929) along the shore of the Charles River and The Koussevitzky Music Shed (Eliel Saarinen, Architect. 1938) in Tanglewood. By examining the notable form and contour of each structure, we were able to create a geometric language for the identity system.
See the brand guidelines on Standards.site.