The revitalization of San Francisco Ballet's brand is the outcome of a collaborative endeavor that brought together Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, Stellar Elements Agency, and the SF Ballet branding team. The goal was to inject fresh vitality into the SF Ballet brand, with an eye towards a full rebrand in the future.

SF Ballet’s 23/24 season was its most successful ever across several key performance indicators.

Project
San Francisco Ballet
Brand Refresh

Role
Lead Brand Designer

Skills
Art Direction
Graphic Design
Photography Post-Production
Photoshop Illustration

Project Duration
3 Months

Team
Creative Direction: Lisa Poppen
Campaign: Stellar Elements
Photographers: RJ Muna &
Erik Tomasson
Photography Post-Production:
RJ Muna & Sky Alsgaard
Video Editing: Alexander Irwin
Brand Designer: Desirée Sapphire

San Francisco Ballet breathed new life into its branding by establishing a modular approach that would serve as a versatile yet consistent framework for the ballet company in the years to come, creating a future-forward foundation for the San Francisco Ballet.

The goal was to weave a recognizable thread throughout the branding strategy, capable of supporting both the timeless essence of the SF Ballet brand and the individual character of each performance within the upcoming season.

To achieve this, the team sought to develop a flexible yet distinctive branding system. Rather than imposing a rigid template, they envisioned a system that was open enough to accommodate variations while retaining enough structure to maintain a cohesive theme, idea, and approach.

The guiding inspiration for the overarching brand concept was "Transcendence." This theme encapsulated the idea of rising above the ordinary and achieving something remarkable, memorable, and extraordinary. It conveyed the notion that transcendence was not an elusive concept but rather attainable by anyone willing to open their mind, heart, and body to the art of ballet.