Williamstown Theatre Festival’s 2021 summer season was the company’s return to in-person theater since COVID. I was entering my third year of collaboration with the organization, and the team was looking for ways to adapt the classic show-centric key art into something more unified and flexible. We didn’t know what the summer was going to consist of, but we knew it was going to be outdoors and unlike past seasons.
My visual direction embraced two challenges necessitated by COVID safety protocols: the need to hold shows outside, and the need for more digital materials. This manifested in an overarching identity showcasing the performance locations, as well as a digital program website uniting the production credits under one umbrella.
The season’s specific programming was very much in flux when we began drafting key art and titles. To start, I explored minimalistic designs featuring a central object and distinct color for each production. At this point in the design process, the team began using a consistent naming scheme for referring to the three planned productions, with each show’s title utilizing the word “Outside” followed by the show’s performance location. As the shows gradually took shape, we ended up moving away from the object-centric design style in favor of key art that depicted the performance locations. The resulting branding was more neutral and upbeat in tone.
In 2020, Williamstown and I explored a new program concept in which I designed and developed a custom website to host show credits. I took this concept a step further in 2021, integrating the show art directly into the program.
