The brief: Capture physical movement. Embrace human touch. Welcome everyone. ODC is a contemporary dance institution with long-standing roots in San Francisco. It needed an identity worthy of its unique voice and restless spirit.

Born from the movement of paper falling through air, the identity curves and twists like a dancer in space. It’s strong, fluid and unafraid of the subtle imperfections that make it unique. Like ODC, it makes world-class sophistication approachable.

The visual system is focused on expressing movement in three-dimensional space. The identity, a movement frozen in time, comes to life when combined with dynamic typography and bold imagery, creating a visual style that is distinctly ODC.

The new visual system unites three ODC organizations with radically different audiences—a professional dance company, a community-based school, and a performing arts theater—within one moving vision. 

The new brand was launched via the advertising campaign for the ODC spring performance season, "Dance Downtown." It included placement on buses, transit stops and public spaces throughout San Francisco.

This program also included the design of environmental signage and graphics and a video ident to begin each performance, all in service of making ODC facilities and performances distinct.