Poster
Poster
Poster
Poster
Poster
Program
E-Tickets
Process
WHO
There is always a large audience that attends. Majority are between the ages of 45-64 (Stratford Festival, Audience Demographics), but there is also a growing youth population (Hodgins).
WHERE
The festival takes place in Stratford, Ontario. Stratford is s walkable town (Wendlandt) with beautiful outdoor scenery including riverside paths and paddle-boating. Since it is in Ontario, I decided to use French as my second language for each item.
WHAT
Stratford Festival puts on at least twelve productions every year in their renowned theatres. The year I chose to redesign had a theme of World Without Walls.
WHEN
Usually occurring between the months of April
to November.
DESIGN RATIONALE
This system uses representational, symbolic, and abstract modes of communication in order to embody the ideas behind Stratford Festival. It represents the landscape and nature found in Stratford in a representational way. Symbolically, the geese found on each item has been dressed up to symbolize the actors in a Shakespearean play. The landscape is torn pieces of paper, also symbolic of the idea of plays.
The imagery and colour palette were used to convey a serene and sophisticated feeling that could continue to draw in the older portion of the crowd that visits the Stratford Festival, while making it very playful and modern with adding the drawn elements along with more modern type placements. The little symbols on the geese were used within the program as abstract design elements to increase its playfulness. The identity of the festival is both connotative and denotative. The denotation comes from the landscape found in each item but also in the photography that is featured in the program. The connotation largely occurs with the colours, ripped paper, and the drawn elements of the geese.
I thought it was important to show that the festival is not only great in the theatre, it is also an experience outside of the theatre. This was featured with the poster originally but I also decided that all of the photos I would take to include in the program would be outside as well.
EARLY ATTEMPTS
SOURCES
Hodgins, A. (2021, July 12). Stratford festival: HOW Theatre transformed a community's economy and identity. The Ripple Effect. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.arts.on.ca/artsaddvalue/stratford-festival/.
Stratford Festival. (2017). Audience Demographics. Stratford; https://cdscloud.stratfordfestival.ca/uploadedFiles/Groups/Audience-Demographic.pdf.
Wendlandt, K. (2021, September 5). 20 best things to do In Stratford, Ontario. Kirsten Wendlandt. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://kirstenwendlandt.com/things-to-do-in-stratford-ontario/.
Text for program
Stratford Festival. (2021). The 2021 Season Guide. Stratford, Ontario; Stratford Festival.
All photos taken by Myah Wills