The Challenge:

Communicate the playful and creative nature of SCMT while setting it apart from other theaters and desert-themed businesses.

Saguaro City Music Theatre Brand Identity

The Insight:

Pair a subtle use of “on-the-nose” imagery with an unexpected color palette.

The Solution:

Develop a logo with custom type to allow for creative use of negative space in the form of a saguaro. Reversing the saguaro allows SCMT to expand their visual library with a icon and pattern that can be used throughout their collateral materials.

The Highlights:

Saguaro City Music Theatre was tasked with the challenge of starting a new theatre company in Tucson, Arizona. As the new face in town, they needed to establish a recognizable visual identity for their brand, presenting SCMT as trustworthy, creative, friendly, and inclusive.

We settled on the idea of creating a saguaro with negative space, using playful, custom type to complete the logo. Imagery of the desert sun setting behind the purple mountains inspired SCMT’s color palette.

Some of SCMT’s programming required a little more creative thinking that would stretch the brand further. The company wanted a way to differentiate classes and shows for children that would engage their interest. Using the saguaro icon paired with illustrative linework, we were able to create theatrical characters that can be used for this application.

As a creative industry, SCMT needed flexibility within their brand. This exploration resulted in an identity that allows for that playfulness while keeping the organization recognizable.