Work:
Dayton Philharmonic Rebranding
As the Dayton Philharmonic explored the need for a new identity, they ruled out the use of a building icon or initials, a strategy that many other orchestras use. FORGE agreed that those approaches did not benefit the end user. Furthermore, we shelved the idea of using a wordmark of the Philharmonic’s name, because most of its patrons already recognized Dayton as the city or region in which they lived.
The Philharmonic wanted to explore the use of musical notations and instruments as a possible direction. FORGE suggested a third: the conductor. FORGE recognized that the orchestra is the only entity, within the market of live musical entertainment, to employ a conductor. The Philharmonic agreed that an image of the conductor was a fitting choice for rebranding an orchestra. The creative team at FORGE used the conductor as a starting point and added classical music, the foundation of any orchestra.
Business Papers: The design of the Dayton Philharmonic’s business papers uses an original score of classical music, supplied by the orchestra’s Music Director, Neal Gittleman, as a supporting brand element. FORGE combined this element with a fairly conservative and classical color scheme and layout.
Client Information
The Dayton Philharmonic (DPO) is the largest and oldest performing arts organization in Dayton, Ohio and the surrounding community. The orchestra employs 83 contracted musicians and performs in a state-of-the-art performance hall, the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center. The Dayton Philharmonic presents dozens of concerts and ensemble performances each year, and its education programs reach over 80,000 children in 14 counties in the Miami Valley.