Theatre Graphics & Branding Jared Taylor Orange High School jared.taylor@orange.k12.nc.us

*DISCLAIMER*

Brand

What is brand? A ‘brand’ is in many ways synonymous with your reputation. It refers to the way other people see you as a business owner or representative of an idea, organization, or activity. When you have a personal brand, people recognize and care about your name, what you’re working on, what you offer, and what you’re about.

I don’t want “brand.” Sounds like more work.

Tough. You already have one whether you want it or not. You already have one whether you’re aware of it or not. So if you already have one, then you might as well put in the time and make it what you want it to be instead of letting someone else decide.

Promote Yourself. Have a website. Everyone has a website now. Even your mom probably has a website, so shouldn’t your theatre program? It's an important part of getting taken seriously in the business and general work world. Make a website that functions as a sort of long-form resume, showcasing what you're about and all of the cool things you've done. You don't need to be a pro, and with websites like Weebly, Tumblr, countless blog sites, and free website templates from services like Wix, there’s really no excuse not to have one. If your intimidated and your county allows, a good baby step is Facebook. Keep in mind your target audience—Facebook isn’t what it used to be!

Image. Put a lot of work into how you look. When we put a lot of work into how we look, we tell people two things. First, we tell them that we believe in taking this professional effort seriously. Second, we tell them that we believe they are worth making an effort for or that they're worth impressing. This shows respect. Between the two, you make people much more willing to take you seriously. You do the same thing for teaching, so again, why not for your program?

Posters

Step 1. Learn the Rules

Focus Choose an image that portrays your production well. Always ask yourself, “If I had no idea what this play was or was about, how would the poster be able to tell me?” What’s important? Images should be able to capture attention and also relate to the purpose of the poster.

Limit your text A good rule of thumb for maximum text used is 1/3 and 2/3 for the visuals

Fonts Don’t go crazy. Try to stay close to two font types and no more than three or four font sizes. The importance of the order determines what size to use for text. For example, the headline should have the largest size of text and the benefits should use the smaller size.

Colors Be smart with color. The more colors you have, the harder the poster will be to adapt to to other media (t-shirts, programs, etc).

Spacing Be strategic. Not every inch of the poster needs to be filled. By grouping information logically, it controls the eye flow and directs the reader throughout the layout.

Layouts Design more than one layout. Try different colors, fonts, sizes, and even orientation to find out what is more appealing.

Set Design? Really there is a lot of crossover between the fundamentals of set design and the poster design. Use the same judgements and artistic discernment and you should be more than fine. Don’t let it be intimidating, given the resources, you’re probably better than you realize.

Step 2. Break the Rules!

Step 3. Steal! …I mean…“Be inspired.”

Step 4. Talk to your printer! The person. Not the machine.

Logos

Don’t forget the best resource of all…

They will tell you if it’s awful. Your students. They will tell you if it’s awful.

Helpful Links. Free Photoshop Alternatives Poster Ideas