MEANY CENTER
Brand DevElopment

Setting the stage

Meany Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Washington fosters innovative performances that advance public engagement, cultural exchange, creative research and learning through the arts. Meany Center provides opportunities for diverse artists, community, students and faculty to connect in the discovery and exploration of the boundless power of the arts to create positive change in the world.

This identity was created at a critical juncture in which the place (Meany Hall) was officially joining forces with the organization (UW World Series) to create a dream team culmination of state of the art venue and holistic center for excellence for world-class performing arts, Meany Center for the Performing Arts.

Brand Identity

Meany Center is located in the heart of UW Campus in Seattle and lives in symbiosis with the University. As such, it was crucial that the two entities’ logos be able to co-exist in harmony. The Meany Center logo manifested as a lyrical reflection of the of UW’s iconic collegiate W monogram, almost as though reinterpreting the University through a more artful lens. The marks share common geometry that lends itself to co-branding, if needed. The abstracted M of Meany Center draws visual inspiration from the written language of music, choreography notations, and human forms interacting through expressive dance.

Knowing that an institution like this one would almost always be leveraging press kits and photography from an array of artists, I added the golden gradient “stage light” to their brand toolkit as an ownable visual device, mimicking the UW brand angle and providing cohesion, regardless of the photo displayed beneath.

Credits