Devon Theatre Arts
Brand identity design for a new performing arts school in the South West.
Devon Theatre Arts (DTA) is a new venture headed by experienced performing arts tutor, Louise Anne. Louise has been performing, teaching courses and judging competitions for almost two decades. In that time she has helped countless performers realise their ambitions, win competitions, achieve qualifications and secure jobs in the industry.
The combination of moving to new, larger, premises and expanding the range of courses on offer led to the decision for a fresh start. This new beginning included a name change that is more inclusive of the variety of skills being taught.
A new beginning calls for a new design, which is where Studio Denley came on-board to help.
As with all projects, the identity design began with research into the industry. Devon Theatre Arts cover a wide range of performing arts such as music, dance and drama and these had to be shown through the design of the logo. Louise didn’t want to fall into the cliché of using a dancer or comedy / tragedy masks as, aside from being ‘cheesy’, these single icons wouldn’t fully represent the disciplines DTA covers.
The decision was made that the identity should take inspiration from theatres. This resulted in a clean, modern logo with nods to the neon and glamour of theatre districts, such as the West End and Broadway.
The creation of two versions gives the logo a playful side. One is ‘straight and professional’, the other has ‘rhythm and bounce’. This gives versatility to DTA, allowing them to represent themselves depending on the audience. Additional layouts of the logo were created so consistency can be kept wherever it needs to be applied.
This versatility continues throughout the identity. Uniforms are essential for DTA, bringing all of the students together in a consistent look. The logo was designed with this in mind as well as its application on social media and merchandise.
“I am extremely happy with the result delivered by Studio Denley. My ideas were met and resulted in a design better than I had envisaged. I would highly recommend Andy for a friendly, precise and professional approach.”
Louise Anne, Devon Theatre Arts
