Identity design for a theatre by ION reflects its new offerings

The Children’s Theatre of Richmond is broadening its repertoire to encompass not only children’s theatrical productions but also a range of captivating new programs for children and adults like training camps, film ventures and performances. In order to harmonize with its expanded range of offerings, the theatre named itself as CTORA Productions and commissioned Ion Brand Design to do an identity refresh that presented its evolving services.

With three divisions and a wide range of theatre productions, the new identity for the production company had to be fluid to adapt to a myriad of visual programs. We also wanted it to be visually appealing, fun and have its own distinct lively character.

Inspired by stagecraft and the physical forms designed to create theatrical scenery, paper cutouts mimicking the shape of the CTORA letterforms were arranged to experiment with various shapes and overlapping silhouettes. These shapes were extended to create a family of logo characters called “The Sneak Peeks” to differentiate each division’s unique offering and embody its essence — the theatre is represented by stage stairs, film by a camera and the academy by a head. One of my favourite details is the The "Sneak Peek's" eye movements.

The rebrand successfully communicates the diverse range of services and products offered by the production company with a cohesive family of sub-logos that can be easily expanded upon in the future, creating a scalable system.

The client and their social media followers have enthusiastically embraced the rebrand. The new brand system seamlessly integrates into artwork and advertising and has proven to be playful and flexible. It effortlessly adapts to the unique character of each performance interacting with illustrations and a wide range of colour palettes.