Rebranding a performing arts organisation to help them reach new audiences
30 Bird are an award-winning, inter-disciplinary arts company based in Cambridge. While much of their earlier work explored anglo-iranian experiences, their scope was expanding beyond this definition into a transcultural, performance practice. To reflect this they required a new brand identity that would allow them to explore more ideas and opportunities without alienating their current audience.
My favourite aspect of this project was the opportunity to explore a different culture. I spent a lot of time in Manchester Art Gallery studying Persian mosaics and tapestries for inspiration. Though conscious that the brief was to take the company into a new era I wanted some subtle acknowledgement of their heritage within the new identity.
The name 30 Bird comes from the Persian myth, The Conference of the Birds, which tells of the quest to find Simurgh, the wisest of all the birds, to be their leader. Eventually they learn that together, they are Simurgh – the thirty bird.
The flocks are what separate the company of 30 Bird from its work, and the birds take a back seat on project specific promotional material, allowing the photography and themes of that particular production to shine.
