National Ballet of Portugal - Identity / 2017—2019
Identity / Art Direction / Print
The new identity of the National Ballet of Portugal (Companhia Nacional de Bailado – CNB), launched in 2017 — the year of its 40th anniversary — was designed to embody and explore the two dimensions that characterise the CNB. On one hand, the prestigious, timeless institution with past, present and future, which fulfils the mission of the only state dance company in Portugal. On the other, the creative energy and artistic dynamism that dance assumes through the Company's lens, materialised through its programming and all the cultural and artistic activity it produces.
In the new logotype, as in the real life of the Company, these two dimensions formally coexist in harmony and balance. Representing the stable institutional dimension, the descriptor Companhia Nacional de Bailado is aligned with the initials C and N along a fixed horizontal axis. In contrast, the B — for Bailado (Ballet) — takes the leading role in the composition and expresses the full variety of languages that converge on the CNB's stage. More than a fixed element, this B is a repertoire of visions and interpretations, prepared to grow in parallel with the Company.
Without a logic defined a priori as to the permitted and desired multiplication, the logotype is above all a stage for a dynamic brand that, while ensuring institutional identity, gives voice to all the creative forces that pass through the CNB: from artistic directors to dancers, from choreographers to musicians, and also the audiences that applaud them.
More than a fixed element, this B is a repertoire of visions and interpretations, prepared to grow in parallel with the Company. A stage that gives voice to all the creative forces that pass through the CNB.
Season 2017/2018
In the 2017/2018 season — the first in which the new logotype was used — we chose to create, for each show, a B inspired by the theme of the piece, openly embracing the dynamic character of the new identity.
For the visual communication, we created a semi-modular structure, running across all graphic formats, that gives great prominence to the titles of the works while not relegating supporting information to a secondary plane in the composition. Underpinning the textual information, on a complementary plane, are photographs by photographer Bruno Simão, with an intense and at times unsettling dramatic charge. From the confrontation between the theatrical tone of the images — worked in a deep black and white — and the vivid colours applied to the titles, a solution emerged with high visual impact and easily identifiable with the CNB.
Season 2018/2019
In the 2018/2019 season, with a view to continuity, we maintained, in essence, the principles that had guided us in the previous season. We drew inspiration from each show to create a personalised B for each piece, expanding the repertoire of logotype variations. We also preserved the use of the human dimension that had been introduced the previous year, as well as the semi-modular structure for organising textual information.
However, since a new season is always an opportunity for renewal, we exchanged the black and white of the images for vivid-colour photographs, with tones tending towards a digitally forced monochromy. Conscious of the visual impact of this solution — particularly when applied to street posters — we transformed the programme offered at the start of each show into a collectible poster, reinforcing the Company's connection with its audience.
