In 2019 Zubin Mehta retired with Lahav Shani taking on the Music Director role. The generational passing of the conducting baton called for a comprehensive brand refresh that successfully translates the rich musical language into a visual language. The complex challenge was creating a language that speaks to new, contemporary audiences exposed to the brand via digital while preserving the traditional legacy and assets of the orchestra.
How do you approach a brand that is a national and cultural asset? We realized we needed to “touch the brand spirit” to refine it. We spent countless hours with members of the orchestra. We married the classic and the contemporary to express the brand experience through various platforms and new, dynamic shapes. We distilled the essence of the brand inspired by Walt Disney’s famous quote: “telling an old story in a new way”.
In the Design Thinking workshop we’d developed, we distilled the brand essence that will influence all its aspects, from musical interpretation to the communication language to the customer experience: the commitment to always find new ways to tell old stories. Inspired by experience-driven products developed around the world, we worked with the members of the orchestra to create a series of products and interfaces that connect new audiences with classical music in a way they had never experienced before.
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s historical logo that dates back well before Israel’s independence, is based on the Menorah symbol, which also serves as the symbol for the state of Israel. To differentiate them, we added a tuning fork to the Menorah. Removing the word “Orchestra” and keeping “Israel Philharmonic” gave the logo substantial, significant presence on the grid.
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s historical logo that dates back well before Israel’s independence, is based on the Menorah symbol, which also serves as the symbol for the state of Israel. To differentiate them, we added a tuning fork to the Menorah. Removing the word “Orchestra” and keeping “Israel Philharmonic” gave the logo substantial, significant presence on the grid.
During our Improv Design workshop, we were exposed to the rich range from the high notes to the low notes in classical music, which closely resembled the range of warm colors and cool colors in the world of color. We created a brand color system that is the first of its kind in the world. The brand color system is attuned to the musical range: warm colors and cool colors aligned with high notes and low notes, with the endless possibilities of combining them expressing the richness of the musical experience.
During our Improv Design workshop, we were exposed to the rich range from the high notes to the low notes in classical music, which closely resembled the range of warm colors and cool colors in the world of color. We created a brand color system that is the first of its kind in the world. The brand color system is attuned to the musical range: warm colors and cool colors aligned with high notes and low notes, with the endless possibilities of combining them expressing the richness of the musical experience.
Marketing posters: Leonid Kabakos and Mahler’s 9th
The previous communication language was based on a clear hierarchy of font, image, and logo. To update it, we needed to reinvent those 3 tools. We created a grid system with 5 messages, inspired by the musical staff. We composed a language rich in images that showcase the musicians’ personalities. We chose a mandatory font with light font weight, tall height and font strokes resembling musical notes, enabling us to assimilate the names of the music directors and musical compositions.
The previous communication language was based on a clear hierarchy of font, image, and logo. To update it, we needed to reinvent those 3 tools. We created a grid system with 5 messages, inspired by the musical staff. We composed a language rich in images that showcase the musicians’ personalities. We chose a mandatory font with light font weight, tall height and font strokes resembling musical notes, enabling us to assimilate the names of the music directors and musical compositions.
“It is not only beautiful, but also innovative, and no less than that conveys an important message: not only can music be created from any sound, but also the music created from the variety of sounds that hover in the space of the world is not given any meaning that is ultimately related to this world.”
“Any time there is access to historical artifacts only good things can come out of it and I think they were able to extract some pretty basic and useful things as starting points to build a new language.”
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