Stadttheater Gießen, or casually also called Theater Gießen, is a municipal theater and the cultural center of the German town Gießen. With two stages and 700 seats the theater hosts and entertains its guests with plays, musicals, operas, operettes, and dance performances.

Their typography uses CJ Type's geometric sans Dunbar Tall across all mediums including posters, brochures, website, and online presence, as well as for the “STADT THEATER GIEßEN” logo in all caps behind the brand’s iconic squiggle lines. The logotype is set in Dunbar Tall Medium.

Dunbar includes OpenType features catering to German language use, such as stylistic alternates for capital umlauts, as well as contextual ligatures for ch and ck.

The main theater building’s neo-classical architecture with Jugendstil influences from around 1907 reflects a preservation of the traditional entertainment artforms whilst appealing to younger contemporary audiences. The brand's typographic style plays on a similar appeal with its modernity: Dunbar was inspired by Erbar-Grotesk, a typeface designed in Germany by Jakob Erbar who first started exploring sans serif design in the early 1900s, close in time to when the theater in Gießen was built.

The visual identity complements its clean geometric typography with organic interactive squiggle lines unique to each performance. This component was developed by Patrik Hübner as a fluid generative design system.

These dynamic patterns mirror the gestures, voices, and movements of the stage, evolving in real-time to reflect the collaborative and exploratory spirit of the Stadttheater.

In 2022 the theater celebrated its visual refresh with a launch event. Visitors could interact to generate their own personalized squiggles, which blurred the lines between audience and performative play.

The logo combines caps with a lowercase eszett. CJ Dunn decided not to include an uppercase eszett. The font is a static version in which the letters R S T look different from the variable font version.

JMG Studio has designed the new identity for the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The choice of type fell on IvyPresto Headline alongside Inter. The typefaces are used throughout the website, on print, and in marketing collateral. The logo is custom drawn, or based on a different typeface.

The logo of Southbank Centre in Noe Display is not part of the LPO identity.

The Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society (Towarzystwo Muzyczne im. H. Wieniawskiego) of Poznań brings together scholars, culture animators, artists, promoters of musical life and music lovers. It continues the tradition of the oldest secular musical association in Poznań, which was established on 2 May 1885. For a number of years, the Society has been one of the foremost organizers of musical life in Poznań. It has inspired several events of international calibre – including the famous International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition – hosted numerous concerts, meetings and workshops run by outstanding artists, chamber ensembles and symphonic orchestras. Wieniawski Society fosters the memory and disseminates knowledge of its patron. It collects documents and memorabilia, as well as publishes works on his life and work. The Society also provides young musicians – violin players in particular – with different forms of promotion.

The new graphic identity was inspired by the musical notation. The elliptical shape derives directly from this of the note, while the horizontal lines constitute a reference to the staff. The new logo focuses on metaphorical representation of space. It is a space both for music itself, and for the individually experienced emotions associated with it. Depth lies in what is profoundly subjective and directly experienced by the listener. The syllable-separated name of the association creates a rhythmic composition. Owing to its responsive and dynamic structure, adjustment of spacing between the two key elements of the sign symbolically creates space for multidimensionality of music.

The design was made by Matylda Awdziejczyk, Anna Małecka, and Anna Holik (art direction), with motion and strategy by Adam Chyliński. The project was managed by Daniel Naborowski.

In 2020, San Francisco Symphony celebrated the 25th and final season of the acclaimed Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, who has guided the organization into one of the world’s leading ensembles. San Francisco studio Manual was commissioned to update the identity and design a campaign for these remarkable milestones and Thomas’s final season in 2019–2020.

Beatrice Display’s unique high-contrast model caught the eyes of the team at Manual Creative and seemed like a suitable match for SF Symphony. In order to take it to the next level and ensure that the typefaces could be used in more contexts for an updated, robust brand, Sharp Type designed custom optical sizes including Beatrice Headline and Beatrice Deck to be used alongside Beatrice. The typefaces are used throughout the website, on print, and on marketing collateral. On the Beatrice family, the team at Manual Creative writes:

Having just launched when our work began with the symphony, Beatrice struck us as the perfect contemporary typographic expression. Its high contrast, idiosyncratic forms, and overall visual rhythm provided a musical quality to letterforms.

Eastwood Symphonic is a musical project, released by [Pias] in digital as well as physical formats: a website, a book and a vinyl record. The graphic design was handled by Brest Brest Brest, using Plaax by Damien Gautier and LL Bradford by Laurenz Brunner. On the website of this project, we can read:

Eastwood Symphonic is a tribute from a son to his father, actor, director and musician. It is also the witness of an artistic legacy, of the transmission of personal passions that touch each other until they merge as often as they can.

​We will (re)discover here that Clint wrote the music of some of his films, and that his son Kyle has collaborated with him on his soundtracks, for composition and arrangements. […]

Recorded in October 2022 with the Czech National Symphonic Orchestra and under the baton of the Grammy awarded conductor Gast Waltzing, this eventful record will be a CD, a double vinyl and a limited tablebook edition, only available on this website.

Photos by Antoine Jaussaud.

[More info on Discogs]

In 1972, conductor Wyn Morris and the Philharmonia Orchestra (known at the time as New Philharmonia Orchestra) were the first to record Deryck Cooke’s revised performing version of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 10.

Philips Records released a double LP box set in 1973, for which Dutch designer Eric Wondergem created the cover. He used the futuristic Ben Bold as the main typeface. Trendy cover designs for classical music were quite common in the 1970s, see for example Fritz Blankenhorn’s use of Siegfried for another Mahler symphony. The big dimensional x is custom drawn. Egyptienne Bold Condensed Bold Extended or Volta might have served as the basis. Palace Script is used for the sticker.

[More info on Discogs]

Front cover

This recording of symphonies by Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959), Czech composer of modern classical music, was performed by the Česká filharmonie under the direction of chief conductor Václav Neumann (1920–1995) and issued by Czechoslovak record company Supraphon in 1980. The box set with four LPs was made for export, as suggested by the English (and Russian) text.

Cover designer Miroslav Jiránek combined two typefaces from the catalog of Mecanorma, the French manufacturer of dry transfer lettering: Martinů’s name is shown in New Zelek, with a hyper-extended diagonal in M and a custom added kroužek, or ring, on the U. Subsequent text is shown in caps from Quirinale, with “Symphonies” enclosed in a cartouche. The box was printed at Severografia Děčín.

Born in 1951, Jiránek studied graphic design at Prague’s Academy of Arts (today also known as UMPRUM). After graduating in 1979, he worked in the field of design for about ten years, before devoting himself to painting. He’s the younger brother of cartoonist Vladimír Jiránek (1938–2012) [Galerie La Femme].

[More info on Discogs]

Box interior with booklet and records

Back cover. The track list and credits are in Univers.

Dapifer and Dapifer Stencil take the leading role in the visual identity of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The low-contrast serif typeface by Darden Studio is used both in solid and stencilled styles, online, in print, and beyond. Dapifer can be seen in the logo, the season booklet, annual reports, web graphics, and other collateral.

The creative direction for the current campaign was developed by Extrablack. The individual items were designed together with the internal team led by Tessa Conn, with support by Amy Zhou.

Abridged version of the new logo, projected onto the wall of the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Full wordmark as used on during the 2019 season, in capitals from Dapifer Stencil.

Dapifer Stencil for the 2019 Season Opening Gala announcement.

Solid Dapifer in roman and italic styles for the Swan Lake graphics.

Detail from the 2019 season brochure, with Dapifer Stencil Medium for titles and intro texts. The small print above uses plain Dapifer, with its more open “schoolbook” alternate for a.

Opening spread from the 2018 Impact Report, with a large quote set in ragged-right Dapifer Book.

Spread with selected quotes from press reviews, set in center-aligned Dapifer.

Infographic with key figures. Dapifer is paired with Akzidenz-Grotesk.

Staff T-shirts.

This recording of Danse Macabre, op. 40 and Le Rouet d’Omphale, Op. 31 by Camille Saint-Saëns complemented by Henri Rabaud’s La procession nocturne, Op. 6 was performed by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos. Released by Columbia Masterworks Records in 1951, the album comes with a cover designed by Alex Steinweiss. He paired all-lowercase Onyx with his signature handwriting.

In 2010, lettering artist and type designer Michael Doret turned the famous “Steinweiss Scrawl” into a digital font family in three weights and with numerous alternates, named Steinweiss Script. Whirled Peas NF by Nick Curtis is an earlier, less extensive and unofficial interpretation of this style, based on a showing titled “Whitestone Scrawl” (a malapropism of the German Steinweiss) included in Dan X. Solo’s book Showcard Alphabets.

[More info on Discogs]

Siegfried in use for the cover of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major, also known as the “Symphony of a Thousand”, as recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Georg Solti.

Mahler composed the symphony in 1906. It was first performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in 1910. The chosen typeface dates from the same period, and also comes from the same place: Siegfried was designed by Munich-based artist August Glaser and was first cast in 1902. Seven decades later, the odd hybrid was back in fashion as part of the rediscovery of Art Nouveau.

Originally released by Decca, this double LP is a special edition distributed in Germany in cooperation with Deutscher Schallplattenclub. The cover was designed by Fritz Blankenhorn (1921–2011), with the smaller text set in two weights from Gill Sans.

Formed in 1929, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is widely recognized as a cultural cornerstone of Mid-Michigan. The orchestra curates and performs a wide selection of music, including their MasterWorks Series, Pops Series, Chamber Ensembles, and Jazz Ensembles. The 87th season marked Timothy Muffitt’s tenth year as music director of the LSO. Under his leadership, the organization has focused on performing contemporary selections while maintaining a robust program of classical masterpieces.

For the 87th annual season, Traction's creative team set out to determine a basic creative theme that would ultimately act as the bedrock for each of the following season's creative campaigns: Contemporary vs. Classical. Part of the direction was largely based on the director for the LSO, Timothy Muffet. During his tenure as conductor and music director, he had taken an ensemble that almost exclusively played Classical compositions and implemented a contemporary mix of modern-day selections. Now, the creative would reflect the ambitions of the organization.

In this first year of repositioning, brand typography was chosen to juxtapose one another in the same way our idea had – Champion and Gotham represented the contemporary side while Chronicle represented the classical aspect.

The palette would consist of black and white, which the brand would retain each year, and a rotating color. Black and white were chosen because of their relationship to both sides of the theme. As for the rotating color, we decided on the use of gold. Not only is gold reminiscent of brass instruments and strings but of class and style.

Through the use of brochures, program books, posters, direct mail, and more, the creative was more consistent than ever. Regardless of the concert being advertised, there was no question it was brought to you by the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.

Gza Semibold in use for two records by Den Sorte Skole (“The Black School”), a Copenhagen-based DJ, producer and composer collective.

Symphony No. I For Sampler And Chamber Orchestra — Den Sorte Skole And The Danish National Chamber Orchestra. Limited to 800 hand-numbered copies. Includes a booklet with a list of all the samples used and credits. Writing on the record jacket is debossed and with glossy text. Recorded in The Concert Hall at The Danish Broadcasting Company, Copenhagen, June 2014.

Symphony No. II For Sampler And Chamber Orchestra — Den Sorte Skole And Copenhagen Phil. Pressing of 800 hand-numbered copies. Includes a booklet with a list of all the samples used and credits. Writing on the record jacket is debossed and with glossy text.
Recorded in The Concert Hall of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen, May 2016.

Album cover for Haydn’s Symphony #100 in G, also known as “Military Symphony”. Recorded by the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra. Undated, published by Merit Records. Cover by Curt John Witt (1925–2015).

[More info on Discogs]

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra that was initially formed in 1908. Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been its home concert hall and performs more than 180 concerts a year with some of the world’s most illustrious conductors and soloists. The orchestra’s current chief conductor is David Robertson. [Wikipedia]

The current brand identity was conceived by Sametz Blackstone Associates in 2013. The primary typefaces are Emtype’s Ciutadella and Linotype Walbaum. The former is mainly used in all caps. The latter often is featured with its italics. The logo is in lowercase letters from Benton Sans by Font Bureau.

A Night In The Tropics composed by Louis Moreau Gottschalk / Latin-American Symphonette composed by Morton Gould; played by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

Vanguard Stereolab Records/USA (1963). Recorded December, 1962, at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT — Discogs

1968 re-release, Vanguard Everyman Classics

Hauser, Schwarz continue to design the Basel Sinfonietta’s communication for this new season.

Euclid Flex is part of the Euclid typeface, available from Swiss Typefaces.

For this year's series of concerts, the Laval Symphonic Orchestra identity boldly plays with typographic and contemporary visuals composed in More Gothic and Guillon.

On the menu: movement, strength and intensity. Now let the fat lady sing!

Continuation of the identity of the Orchester für Neue Musik / Basel Sinfonietta by the Swiss studio Hauser, Schwarz. See also the entry about the previous season.

Euclid Flex is in use for all media.

In 2014, the Swiss studio Hauser, Schwarz conceived the entire re-branding of the internationally acclaimed Orchester für Neue Musik / Basel Sinfonietta.

Euclid Flex is in use for the logotype, posters, website and other media.

Founded in 1977, Orchestre Symphonique Genevois is an internationally recognized semi-professional orchestra in Geneva. KW43 created a new identity featuring a modification of Horley Old Style in which some letter elements are replaced with those of musical notation. The custom font converts texts into meoldies that were played on the website and an interactive app. Staves also served as the grid structure for posters.