Shakespeare in the Park 2019

Skewed bands of typography are layered on color shapes in a Pop art palette of blue, red and yellow, inspired by circus posters, bubble gum and Wonder Bread.

Much Ado About Nothing and Coriolanus are the featured productions in the 2019 edition of Shakespeare in the Park, the annual free performances presented by The Public Theater at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Pentagram has created the promotional campaign for the season―our 25th since starting our collaboration with the Public in 1994―combining bold typography, bright summer colors, and a tagline that sums up the plays as “Rumors and Rebels.”

Each year, the season design changes in the use and spirit of Knockout, the font of the Public identity. The 2018 campaign featured strong black type, so the designers wanted to go in the opposite direction for the new season. The 2019 look is fun and playful, with skewed bands of typography layered on color shapes in a Pop art palette of blue, red and yellow, inspired by circus posters, bubble gum and Wonder Bread.

Working with Pentagram, the in-house team at the Public extended the look of the posters into additional applications, including a complete system of signage for the Delacorte, gala invites, and swag such as t-shirts and totes. The typographic approach is also a preview of the graphics for the upcoming 2019-2020 season at the Public, which will build on the Shakespeare campaign to create a full visual personality for the year, including the season brochure, posters, print advertisements, and banners for the façade of the Public, as well as promotional materials for Joe’s Pub.

Previously: Shakespeare in the Park 2018, Shakespeare in the Park 2017, Shakespeare in the Park 2016, Shakespeare in the Park 2015, Shakespeare in the Park 2014, Shakespeare in the Park 2013, Shakespeare in the Park 2012, Shakespeare in the Park 2011, Shakespeare in the Park 2010.

Client

The Public Theater

Sector

Arts & Culture

Discipline

Brand Identity

Office

New York

Partner

Paula Scher

Project team

Emily Atwood
Tam Shell, The Public Theater
Katie Hodge, The Public Theater
Gina Roi, The Public Theater
Ze Wang, The Public Theater
Christian Martin, The Public Theater
Rusty Van Riper

Share: , , Email

Retrospective: Shakespeare in the Park

In 1954, impresario Joe Papp began a summer tradition of staging free outdoor performances of Shakespeare, inaugurating the Public Theater’s beloved Shakespeare in the Park festival. Pentagram partner Paula Scher, whose relationship with the Public spans four decades, has designed a new identity for the series for thirty consecutive summers. Each campaign is customized to the season’s theme, creating a highly visible graphic vocabulary for outdoor advertising, social media, and on-site signage.

(27)

2024