A new era: DesignStudio unites with Royal Ballet and Opera to create a new brand for the cultural icon

Ahead of its 2024-25 season, the Royal Opera House announced that it would be changing its name to the Royal Ballet and Opera.

Home to two-world class Companies—The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera—the existing name described the place of work, and not who they were. The rebrand is a celebration of both art forms, and seeks to draw new and existing visitors to a diverse programme of productions, both on and off the stage.

In close partnership with DesignStudio, the Royal Ballet and Opera embarked on a journey to craft a brand identity that would welcome a new era for this beloved cultural institution. Through close collaboration, the teams worked together to develop a brand that reflects the organisation’s ambitions while honouring its rich heritage.

DesignStudio Creative Director Julien Queyrane said: “As a true cultural icon, it was a tremendous privilege to collaborate with the Royal Ballet and Opera on this new vision. Honing in on the organisation’s rich history, whilst looking ahead to its ambitious future, our rebrand captures the breadth of this new offering by elevating and celebrating all art forms in a way that feels highly inclusive. The result is a brand that commands attention, reflects the scale of the institution’s impact and ensures its presence is felt across both physical and digital stages.”

Underpinning the brand concept is the idea of a Living Timeline which celebrates the organisation’s illustrious history, whilst clearly connecting it to the present and future. Every element has been inspired by the heritage, current programme and vision for what comes next. 

This central idea is brought to life by three design principles—Reveal, Reconnect and Reimagine—that inform every part of the brand system and celebrates the richness of both artforms. 

Working together, DesignStudio and the Royal Ballet and Opera team identified a marque from its archives with the strongest ties to its history. Bringing this to the present day to add character, confidence and orchestration, it captures the art forms coming together harmoniously, with structure and flow.

Much like the marque, the rest of the toolkit takes inspiration from the past, present and future of the organisation. The colour palette builds on their ownership of red. This is combined with an extended palette that celebrates the breadth of the Royal Ballet and Opera’s creative archive and allows them to flex across different contexts and tones.

Two typefaces are paired to celebrate the extraordinary variety of production and expertise on offer within the organisation. A modern serif and strong grotesque nod to the heritage, whilst celebrating the flair and emotional power of their work.

Tone of voice plays a huge role in shaping the brand expression. Based around three principles—Sharp, Evocative, Unexpected—it captures the essence of the creative idea and characterises the identity in simple, definable terms. Combined, they create an inclusive tone that can flex to suit any audience, content or channel. 

Royal Ballet and Opera Director of Customer and Innovation, Christina Østerby said: “It’s been a joy to see how DesignStudio, together with our internal team, has built a new brand identity clearly expressing the full story of who we are. This will support us to engage audiences that haven’t discovered us yet as well as reengaging with our current audience and stakeholders.”

The Royal Ballet and Opera brand is now live. Find out more here: design.studio/work/royal-ballet-and-opera

Credits

Source: DesignStudio

  Brand Identity, Branding, Collaboration, DesignStudio, Royal Ballet and Opera