A New Visual Identity for the Berliner Festspiele
Together with the agency 3pc we are developing a new look for the Berliner Festspiele that prioritises clarity and reduction. This process will take place gradually and will become increasingly apparent during the course of the year.
© 3pc / Berliner Festspiele
The Idea
Since 2012 the Berliner Festspiele’s visual identity has been established by a red frame and a clearly defined spectrum of colours. With the appointment of Matthias Pees as Director (since September 2022) we are also taking a new approach to the look of the Berliner Festspiele. Together with the agency 3pc we want to create a clearly identifiable corporate design that can be used for all our festivals and buildings while also allowing scope for the different characters of the individual formats. An effect of clarity and reduction is particularly important here.
The branding for our established and prestigious festivals should forge an unambiguous link to the umbrella brand Berliner Festspiele, reinforcing the brand family while each retaining their own individuality. 3pc has therefore created a powerful corporate design that concentrates on the essentials and leaves room to continue evolving.
© 3pc / Berliner Festspiele
The Concept
“Individual logos have been designed for the buildings and festivals that always include the umbrella brand ‘Berliner Festspiele’ in order to demonstrate unambiguously that they belong to the brand family. The logos are bold and confident, while expressing a variety of associations: they are open and playful. Standing alone, they are clear and powerful; combined together, they demonstrate the diversity of the Berliner Festspiele. In the first season the use of pure colour reinforces the impression made by the typography. Each format and each festival will express itself in its own colours. However, this is just the beginning of an open process that will continue to evolve in the years to come.” — 3pc
The New Typefaces
In recent years every area of the Berliner Festspiele’s programming has worked with a single typeface. From now on we will only use three fonts for all our printed products:
- Gravity by Dinamo for logos
- Ekstra by Good Type Foundry for headings
- Helvetica Now by Linotype for running text
On the website, the new fonts for headings and running text will be used from the second half of 2023. The new font for logos is already online.
The Process
The introductory process will take place gradually. It begins in March with the unveiling of our new family of logos and the exchange of typefaces on our website and in our publications and posters. This will be followed during the second half of 2023 by the introduction of a new design for our website in which the new look will become more prominent.
The Look of the Berliner Festspiele over Time
In their history of over 70 years, the Berliner Festspiele have had countless visual identities that now provide information about the styles, priorities and designs of the past. The posters for Jazzfest Berlin offer an impression of these.
You can find our recent posters together with a selection of historic posters, publications and other products in the Berliner Festspiele webshop. Our banners in the old design will be recycled to make sustainable products such as bags and pouches.