Re-Envision Theater
Rebecca Jiayi Zhou
“Theater, this seemingly antiquated institution still finds a surprisingly stable cultural place in a society next to technically advanced media.”
—Hans-Thies Lehmann
My project Re-envision Theater aims to provide small and young theaters a design system that guides their branding structure for both online and physical platforms. These theaters often have limited budgets, and more alarmingly, do not have solid brand systems. My project helps these theaters to customize and align their brands with their experimental and innovative performances using graphic design.
The experience starts with a package mailed to theaters showing what their theater could look like using this design system, including a system guide, ticket designs (physical and digital), a ticket-buying experience demo, seat numbers and coat check tag designs, an intermission guide, and an after-the-show pamphlet. Then, theater companies can visit the website, which shows how to use the design system and customize each graphic piece in the theater.
My emphasis in this project is about accessibility and affordability, since not every theater has the budget to hire design studios to rebrand their identity and atmosphere. By using my design system, small and young theaters can start to understand the important role graphic design plays in a space to enhance the experience for customers, from the ticket-buying experience to the after-performance experience.