The Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) at the University of California, Berkeley, commissioned imagery advertising their 2017–18 performance season.

In a season of mixed themes and disciplines (dance and theater), the challenge was to capture the individuality of each show, yet create a visually cohesive campaign. Furthermore, the client wished to reflect their recently refreshed brand aesthetic. The resulting art was to be adapted to advertising in both digital and printed formats.

The images for each show were unified using color (from the client's brand palette) and type (Futura Condensed for titles, and UC Berkeley's corporate typeface, Freight, for production details). Furthermore, each piece was rendered, in part, in a consistent mix of analog media: backgrounds were painted in acrylic, foreground elements were painted in watercolor, and each poster features paint splashes. This handmade approach was paired with vector art and transparency, echoic of transparent geometry used in other TDPS-branded collateral.

Conceptually, though each image adheres to the unique theme of the show it represents, all the artwork hints at duality:

• METAMORPHOSES: Fiery sun in daytime sky is reflected in water as cold moon in night sky

• BERKELEY DANCE PROJECT: Female dancer who leaps in empowerment is also suspended in scrutiny

• ALL IN THE TIMING: Hailing from opposing points of origin, two hourglasses briefly converse mid-flight

• MECHANICS OF LOVE: A single ballerina emerges from opening in a multiverse, and the backlighting results in a kaleidoscope of cast shadows

Ultimately, the 2017–18 season artwork captured the character of each show with a look that felt familiar but not repetitious.

The final art for each show appeared in both printed and digital formats — posters, flyers, programs, and social media-ready images — that were dispersed on the university's campus, Facebook, and beyond. The resulting suite of collateral provided a recognizable and professional identity for the season's productions.