Musical Makeover
Houston theater company gets a starry 21st century look from legendary design firm
You know what it's like to see someone and immediately know that something's different but you can't figure out what. Is it the hair, makeup or the result of a new personal trainer?
Visitors to the Theatre Under the Stars website and social media channels will notice such a nuance when looking at the logo, which has received a needed update from the 1980s stylings of the former.
"The minute we walked into the Hobby Center, we were enamored with the dramatic chandelier that illuminates the building's lobby."
In an effort to brings its identity into the 21st century, TUTS partnered with design consultancy firm Pentagram to create a logo that's more modern and more abstract than the previous logo, which looked as though it came right out of Star Search. According to a press release, the new TUTS star and contemporary font "abandons cliché and abstractly conveys the kinetic, transportive nature of musical theater."
The design is rooted in important elements in TUTS history, such as the dome in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts lobby and the company's early shows at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
"The minute we walked into the Hobby Center, we were enamored with the dramatic chandelier that illuminates the building's lobby," says a representative from Pentagram, which was also responsible for logos for the Metropolitan Opera, the Art Institute of Chicago and 21st Century Fox. Design savvy consumers will more readily identify Pentagram with its witty, quirky and sometimes irreverent cards popular during the holidays.
"The shining metal rays radiating outward from the recessed center of the dramatic lighting fixture over our heads became our muse," Pentagram adds.
Keep an eye out for a fresh new website in the spring as continuation of this makeover.