Blumenthal Arts - Rebranded 2017 / evolved 2014 - LEAD DESIGNER
A new identity for Charlotte's premier performing arts center, unveiled for its 25th anniversary and evolved seven years later for a new name: one bold mark, a family of six venue marks, and a flexible system for every show that plays them.
THE CHALLENGE
Blumenthal's logo hadn't changed since the early '90s. Heading into its 25th anniversary, the organization needed an identity that felt as alive as its stages, worked across six distinct venues, and welcomed a younger, more diverse generation of arts fans.
Blumenthal's logo hadn't changed since the early '90s. Heading into its 25th anniversary, the organization needed an identity that felt as alive as its stages, worked across six distinct venues, and welcomed a younger, more diverse generation of arts fans.
the idea
The curves of Cesar Pelli's architecture for the Belk Theater, Blumenthal's flagship, led me to Cubism, and specifically to Orphism, the vivid offshoot pioneered by Sonia and Robert Delaunay. Overlapping geometric planes, proportioned on the golden ratio, form a bold "B," with a "P" hidden in the top bowl and a lowercase "a" in the bottom: B-P-A. The palette comes straight from stage lighting: saturated, warm and electric.
The curves of Cesar Pelli's architecture for the Belk Theater, Blumenthal's flagship, led me to Cubism, and specifically to Orphism, the vivid offshoot pioneered by Sonia and Robert Delaunay. Overlapping geometric planes, proportioned on the golden ratio, form a bold "B," with a "P" hidden in the top bowl and a lowercase "a" in the bottom: B-P-A. The palette comes straight from stage lighting: saturated, warm and electric.
The System
The same shape language builds a mark for each of the six venues (Belk Theater, Booth Playhouse, Stage Door Theater, Knight Theater, McGlohon Theater and Duke Energy Theater), so every space feels distinct but unmistakably part of one family. I also designed a show-poster framework that Blumenthal's in-house team uses to bring each new production into the brand, from Hamilton to Breakin' Convention.
The Evolution (2024)
When Blumenthal Performing Arts became Blumenthal Arts, reflecting a reach well beyond the stage, they brought me back to evolve the identity. The B didn't need to change: the client wanted it kept exactly as it was. I redesigned the wordmark for the new name and left the mark untouched.
Unveiled Nov 14, 2017, at a sold-out 25th-anniversary gala at the Belk Theater.
Built to last: seven years later, through a full organizational rename, the B stayed exactly as designed, and the client came back to the original designer to update the wordmark.
Seen by 1.1M+ people a year: by 2023, Blumenthal welcomed more than 1.1 million visitors and put $93.75 million into the local economy annually, all under the B.
Gold ADDY Award 2019
