New brand identity for Marple Drama

20th July 2022

Recently I created a dynamic new identity for Marple Drama, a local theatre group.

Working with renowned local actor Naomi Radcliffe I created a dynamic new identity for the group and made some aesthetic and functional changes to their website.

Naomi needed an identity that identified with her philosophy of developing truthful acting skills in young people.

Inspiration from Aristotle and the Plaza

I read an article about how Greek philosopher Aristotle identified the six elements of drama. These are plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle, and song. This gave me an idea to represent the elements as interesting shapes throughout the logo and the branding.

Marple Drama logo sketches.

Sketched ideas for the Marple Drama branding

Working with these shapes led me to thinking about theatre auditoriums. I looked at the seating plan from Stockport Plaza, a local art deco inspired theatre. The stalls at the Plaza form a D shape and I thought that would work as a logo.

The D works on its own so it can be used in favicons or profile images for social media. The colour scheme for the branding was led by the original colours of the website. Orange is a really energetic colour and combined with black it looks stunning. I just added a gradient to give it a little depth and impact.

Marple Drama branding. The Marple Drama logo which is a D made of circles. The logo is set in black on an orange gradient next to a photo of a young Black man.

Representing an organisation through their branding is a real challenge but it’s something I really enjoy.

Let’s work together on a design project

I love to work with businesses who have a positive impact on the world and see the value of great design. If you need some help with a web design or branding project I’d love to hear from you.

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