Cheetham Bell sets the stage for Royal Exchange Theatre rebrand

Consultancy Cheetham Bell has created a new brand identity for Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre.

RET logo

Cheetham Bell has unveiled “striking” new branding for the Royal Exchange Theatre, which marks the venue’s 40th anniversary.

The launch coincides with the theatre’s Autumn/Winter programme of productions, and aims to celebrate the Royal Exchange as an iconic Manchester institution.

“Colourful photographic style”

RET Business cards_v2

Cheetham Bell began working on the rebrand seven months ago.

The new logo includes three concentric circles with a red colour palette, and a bold, white typeface, which was inspired by the theatre’s interior “round space” and the “centrifugal” energy of Manchester’s industrial past.

Cheetham Bell’s head of design Tony Perry says: “The logo has been designed to work flexibly in a number of ways – both positionally and in terms of colour use. We’ve created a visual identity that uses a bold, colourful photographic style married with simple typography.”

Creating a “consistent visual language”

Blank Magazine on dark Background

This concentric identity is also present across the theatre’s other visual communications, including their new brochure, which features a corresponding, circular image of the actress Maxine Peake.

The new season photography was produced in collaboration with Manchester photographer Jonathan Oakes.

Perry says: “There was a desire to create a consistent visual language across the theatre’s communications as they felt it had become fragmented over the years.”

The Royal Exchange Theatre’s Autumn/Winter season debuts this September, and the branding is displayed throughout their product, print and online applications.

Blank opened Magazine on dark Background
Hide Comments (2)Show Comments (2)
Comments
  • Ady Bibby May 26, 2016 at 10:27 am

    Blimey, that’s left me feeling down… The Royal Exchange Theatre is located in a stunning grade II listed building, has a international reputation for passionate theatrical performances and is vitally important to the vibrancy and culture of Manchester. The new ‘logo’ (as it really doesn’t look like an identity system from what’s above), is uninspiring, lifeless and very corporate. Seriously, did someone get the wrong brief?

  • Pete Doherty May 29, 2016 at 1:44 pm

    The warm colours make this look like electric cooker rings.

  • Post a comment

Latest articles