Houston Ballet Unveils New Logo; New Website to Launch Next Fall

By: Dec. 03, 2015
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Houston Ballet, America's fifth largest ballet company, today introduced the company's new logo and brand identity. The new logo is the first step in a process of rebranding the company's identity as it has evolved over the decades. This marks the most dramatic change in the company's visual identity since 1985.

"Houston Ballet has evolved over the years into a strong identity with a worldwide presence," said Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch. "We need a logo that reflects the exciting work we do and portrays the current state of the company. I feel this new logo is an invigorating next step in our evolution as a company, and I look forward to its implementation and use."

The logo's official color is a striking deep purple and consists of an icon and a word-mark, which can be separated and used individually as needed. The icon depicts kinetic wheels moving in a circular motion, with spokes that graduate from thicker to light, bolder to thinner, as the eye gazes from left to right. Underneath the word-mark consists of the phrase 'Houston Ballet' in a sans-serif font named Metric. The Metric font is clean and modern and designed to embody the idea of engineered geometry. The word-mark design reflects the same aesthetic of the icon, with the word 'Houston' in a bolder font than the following word 'Ballet'. The official purple color for the logo will change depending on how and where it's being used, with the ability to invert the logo and incorporate it into a variety of backgrounds.

International design firm Pentagram worked with Houston Ballet staff for many months to create the new look. DJ Stout, partner and an art director and graphic designer at Pentagram, described the creation process as rewarding and emphasized the importance of creating an identity that felt true to the company and its hometown. "The bolded emphasis of 'Houston' is the important and defining element in the logo's word mark. By emphasizing the city's name, it makes the logo unique and different from other ballet companies," said Mr. Stout.

The new logo is the first step in redefining Houston Ballet's brand. A new website, created by a renowned web design firm, is expected to launch in September 2016. The website will display the company's new digital identity and offer more user-friendly features.

Houston Ballet is America's fifth largest ballet company, an ensemble of 57 dancers with an annual budget of $28.5 million and an endowment of just over $69 million (as of September 2015).

Stanton Welch serves as artistic director of Houston Ballet. He has raised the level of the company's classical technique and commissioned many new works from prominent dance makers. James Nelson serves as the administrative leader of the company, assuming the position of executive director of Houston Ballet in February 2012 after serving as the company's general manager for over a decade.

Houston Ballet has toured extensively both nationally and internationally. The company has appeared in London at Sadler's Wells, at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Ottawa, in six cities in Spain, in Montréal, at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in New York at City Center and The Joyce Theater, and in Paris at Théâtre des Champs Elysées.

Pentagram is the world's largest independent design consultancy with offices in New York, London, San Francisco, Austin and Berlin. Founded, in 1972, the firm is owned and run by 21 partners, a group of friends who are all leaders in their fields. Projects include architecture, books, branding and identities, digital installations, exhibitions, film and video, interiors, products, posters, and websites.



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