Inter-Act Theatre Society - Building a brand for Community building
Inter-Act Theatre is a nonprofit Society committed to the preparation and presentation of social theatre of current social and health issues. We are called Inter-Act Theatre because we explore interpersonal relationships among people and promote interactions between the players and the audience in the process of seeking solutions to life’s difficulties.
In 2014 the society determined it required work on its dated and ineffective identity. The society continues to operate through community contributions. A challenge within the redesign of the identity, print posters, and ephemera was ensuring that production craft and quality control was maintained on a limited budget. Education became key tasks throughout the design process. Elucidating upon the importance of owning a distinct identity and the creation of a strong brand presence became important drivers to ensure buy-in from all decision makers.
I was interested in being involved in the project from the initial client briefing. This arts and culture organization fosters empowerment through community participation and involvement. The productions that are conceived and performed by the society “involves interaction between the players and the audience”. This interaction between cast and audience became the main design inspiration behind the identity. As lead designer, I was responsible for conducting design presentations and research brainstorming sessions, development of conceptual directions, through to formatting of final design elements for production. A family of logos were prepared, formatted, and delivered to the society, packaged along with authorized usage instructions to be delivered to suppliers and vendors. Within the initial deliverable, a print poster and event invitation were developed in anticipation of a production staged at the Southside Events Centre in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Distribution and hanging of posters was facilitated through community volunteer efforts. Later design developments included a graphic standards manual that I designed, wrote, and produced in PDF format outlining all design assets, usage standards, and regulations regarding brand personality.
The identity re-design signifies a major step forward for this highly regarded nonprofit. The work Inter-Act produces within the community is important, deserving of a strong, contemporary identity to garner a more prominent visual presence. The resulting identity composed of strong, simple elements will provide years of brand building blocks for an organization that has a very bright future.
