RSC holds a festival brand pitch

The Royal Shakespeare Company is looking to appoint a design group to create the brand identity for its first year-long festival dedicated to showcasing the complete works of William Shakespeare.

The company is currently holding a three-way pitch between undisclosed design groups. A spokesman for the RSC says, ‘It is very early stages [for the project].’

The selected consultancy will be tasked with creating a working title and brand architecture for the festival, which is expected to be one of the biggest events ever run by the Stratford-on-Avon-based company.

The RSC is also unveiling a redrawn logo. It will roll out across all RSC’s design and print collateral later this year. The existing marque was designed in the mid-1970s.

The RSC recently appointed architect Bennetts Associates to carry out a £100m refurbishment across its portfolio of theatres, including the 1932 Grade II-listed Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It is planning to improve bars, restaurants, toilets and exhibition space and create a new space for educational activity. The work is expected to be completed in time for the festival, which begins in April 2006.

Across the year, the company’s theatre team will show all of the plays written by Shakespeare.