The new visual-identity puts the original, immersive experience right back at the heart of the Globe. Old and new collide to capture the energy of a Globe performance, and lets it loose across everything. Authentic conditions combined with modern ideas, express the true Globe spirit to faithful fans whilst attracting new audiences seeking unique, stimulating experiences.

The Globe itself is centre stage. The original theatre was nicknamed ‘The Wooden O’, this became an inspiration. We found the last complete piece of oak from the building’s construction and created a hand-crafted block in the unusual 20-sided shape of the theatre.

A print from this wood-block became the logo symbol and the source of all the action. With no fixed size or position, the symbol interacts freely with content. Angles from the symbol create a dynamic framework. A collage approach underpins a consistent yet open set of playing conditions to experiment within.

The colour palette – ten shades of red, five shades of black and five shades of white – is influenced by the colour coded theatre flags of Shakespeare’s time as well as the common colours and variable shades of early printing inks. Along with the Wooden O symbol, colour provides a distinctive visual signature while imagery and headline typography are allowed to be expressive, eclectic and free.

The typeface Effra was chosen for its roots as well as its contemporary features. A modern update of the first commercial sans serif, its heritage lies in London’s historic type and printing family Caslon.

Modern, standard formats and stock are avoided in print, and editorial design remixes the layout principles of Shakespeare’s first printed collection of 1623 – The First Folio – embracing its unusual grid and typographic idiosyncrasies to express the collision of past and present at the heart of the Globe.

Comprehensive rebrand including: visual-identity, logo, colour palette, imagery, typography, tone of voice, 2018 season campaign, posters, advertising, literature, merchandise, environmental graphics, stationery, uniforms, online, animation, film, social-media.