THE DOWLING STUDIO
Little and Co. did a rebrand for the Guthrie Theater, however they still yearned to see what the brand could be with less restrictions. The Guthrie theater is home to a less traditional theater which goes by a few names such as the Level Nine and Dowling Studio. I rebranded the Dowling Studio to both connect to the Guthrie Theater and stand out on its own. To me Energy seems to encompass what theater is really about and was what I chose to focus this rebrand on. Energy represents what is so exciting about theater. The mural quote by Robin Williams I think says it best
“My preference is live performance. Because you get the feedback. There’s an energy. Its live theater.”
The branding
For the branding I used playful, unconventional typography to represent the unorthodox energy that the Dowling theater brings. I used color and movement to both connect and separate the Dowling Studios yellow from the Guthries blue. The letters interact with each other as the characters do on stage and brings different types of energy to each play. To create a sense of ambiguity and leave something to the imagination I chose to not use any imagery in the main branding. I chose to somewhat combine the two names of the theater so that they could still be used interchangeably. The Dowling Studio gives it its clear true identity juxtaposed with a number 9 the floor the theater resides.
what this theater is about
The Guthrie’s theater’s unconventional little brother theater the level nine needs a rebrand. It is known by a couple names. It is the Guthries experimental modern theater and they want its branding to show it is part of the Guthrie and yet it stands apart.
the street to play experience
Not Every Mountain Photo by Dan Norman
leave room to imagine
Most of the branding is purely playful typography. The lack of image makes the viewer curious and leaves room for the imagination just like a book. The Dowling Studio experience should be somewhat of a surprise, it is meant to challenge the audience and theater alike. I used Yellow and Blue to represent the Dowling Studio and the Guthrie theaters connection and separation.
Photo by Carlos Cardona.
Photo by Carlos Cardona.
Photo by Bruce Silcox
You can feel the energy in the type
Energy
By the theater door there is a mural of the Robin Williams quote about theater. It gives you a taste of what the Dowling Studio is about and is a large interactive experience. It gives the audience something to think about before the play begins and before they leave.
