In 2015, we came up with the visual identity for the Saint-Étienne Opera. The logotype was really simple with its shape mirroring the building’s architecture. Smiles were part of the story too…
If you’d like to take a look at the presentation of this visual identity.
In 2015, we decided to present a collection of portraits in which people were ‘wowed’. These portraits were of the technical and administrative staff from the Opera itself who were willing to play ball. For the 2016 season, we’ve chosen to put the orchestra’s musicians slap bang in the foreground.
In-keeping with the minimalist vision, the smile continues to play a central role in the visual identity. This time, however, faces make way for instruments to perform a symphony of colour. Emotion then steps into the foreground…
We’re working once again with Lyon-based photographer Ghislain Mirat, and we asked willing musicians to come by and have their photo taken.
To stretch the visual concept even further, we created a series of posters for the Opera’s main performances. What we wanted to do was connect the performance to a costume. In order to do this, the Opera opened up its trunk of fancy dress attire! Imagine two floors filled to the brim with thousands of costumes! It was like being a kid again!
In the same vein as last season, the yearly brochure is printed with 8 different covers, the idea being to continue to create a lively and diverse identity. Like the previous edition, the brochure is made up of chapter openings which serve as a bookmark. They are in the form of small booklets, 4cm narrower, with a series of portraits. Because of their shortened width, you can read the programme and access each chapter more easily.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Marc Chassaubéné, deputy cultural councillor of Saint-Étienne, to Éric Blanc de la Naulte (Director of the Opera) and to Oumama Rayan (Director of Communication of the Opera) for having had faith in us throughout the entire project. Thank you to the City of Saint-Étienne and to Olivier Barbé (Director of City communication) for their support. Thank you to all the musicians from the Orchestra for having played the game and also for having improvised during the photo shoot with wonderfully relaxing music.
Credits
Creative direction: Mathias Rabiot
Art direction: Adrienn Nagy
Photography: Ghislain Mirat
Graphic design: Jonas Barry
Project management: Céline Boursin
Article photos: Wanda Perdriolle