{"id":14899,"date":"2025-10-01T23:31:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/edit-brings-motion-and-emotion-into-english-national-ballet-brand\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T23:31:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:31:47","slug":"edit-brings-motion-and-emotion-into-english-national-ballet-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/edit-brings-motion-and-emotion-into-english-national-ballet-brand\/","title":{"rendered":"EDIT brings \u201cmotion and emotion\u201d into English National Ballet brand"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDIT<\/a> has helped English National Ballet (ENB) refresh its brand to engage new audiences on new platforms.<\/p>\n

The company, which recently celebrated its 75th birthday, performs a mix of classic and contemporary shows across the UK and around the world. It also runs a wide range of community programmes, \u201cto take world-class ballet to the widest possible audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were several reasons the ENB needed to rethink its identity, explains Lisa Leigh, its director of marketing and communications.<\/p>\n

Firstly, post-COVID, there was a change in the audiences, with 15% of the previous punters not returning. The new audience demographics are quite mixed, but Leigh says they wanted to connect in particular with the 25 to 34 age bracket.<\/p>\n

EDIT\u2019s new identity work for English National Ballet<\/p>\n

Also coming out of the pandemic, the ENB, like many organisations, upped its digital output and needed a brand that worked better in that context. In 2023, they also appointed a new artistic director, Aaron Watkin, and needed to make sure, \u201cthe brand strategy and the artistic vision were really aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n

And finally, the tough economic climate has intensified pressure on anyone looking to sell tickets. \u201cWe needed to stand out, and to make sure that people had a good reason to spend their time and their money with us,\u201d Leigh explains.<\/p>\n

The first phase involved working with strategists at Boardroom Consulting<\/a> to refine the ENB\u2019s positioning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think part of the challenge is that the word \u2018ballet\u2019 comes with its own preconceptions,\u201d Leigh says. \u201cSo many people see ballet as a closed or confusing world. They think it\u2019s only for a certain type of person. But English National Ballet is not like that \u2013 we\u2019re warm, we\u2019re welcoming, and everyone\u2019s invited.\u201d<\/p>\n

That accessibility threads through ENB\u2019s history, from its founders\u2019 mission back in 1950, right through to initiatives like Dance for Parkinson\u2019s, which helps people living with the disease to find joy and engagement through dance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt quickly became clear that English National Ballet\u2019s founding principles were as alive and relevant today as ever,\u201d says Boardroom Consulting partner Claire Rigby. \u201cThe opportunity was to draw these out more clearly and confidently. \u201c<\/p>\n

EDIT\u2019s new identity work for English National Ballet<\/p>\n

The new identity built around the idea of \u201copening up the possibilities of ballet\u201d which, Leigh says, informed every aspect of the work.<\/p>\n

For Karen Hughes, co-founder and creative director of EDIT, the first task was to clarify whether the client needed, \u201can evolution or a revolution, a refresh or a rebrand.\u201d<\/p>\n

They tested three concepts with audiences and found there were \u201clots of positives\u201d with the existing brand. The challenges came around the brand system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was quite limited in terms of flexibility and how it could adapt,\u201d Hughes says. Ironically for a ballet brand, \u201cIt didn\u2019t have that stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n

However the testing phase also confirmed there was room to make the brand more resonant. \u201cIt felt modern, but it perhaps didn\u2019t connect emotionally with people,\u201d Hughes says.<\/p>\n

The solution was to take the previous mark \u2013 which has been likened to the pointe shoes worn by ballerinas, or a set of quotation marks \u2013 and use it more confidently. In the past it was often placed \u201cas a logo in the corner\u201d which obscured the ENB\u2019s own brand, or made it look like a sponsor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to create a symbol that could go front and centre,\u201d Hughes says.<\/p>\n

\n
\nhttps:\/\/d3faj0w6aqatyx.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ENB_CS_PR-Images_Landscape-Video-1.mp4<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

The EDIT team also added a new wordmark, in Google Fonts\u2019 Bricolage Grotesque<\/em>, and the same type was chosen for the copy, due to its \u201cfluid elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

This desire to mimic the dynamism of the artform also drove a renewed focus on the brand\u2019s motion design. \u201cIt felt quite static in its previous form, so there was so much potential with the motion to add more energy,\u201d Hughes says.<\/p>\n

Leigh says this was a key part of the project. \u201cIf you look at the way the brand mark comes to life, it\u2019s animated and integrated across everything we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team also wanted to bring more emotion into the identity. That influenced the motion design, the art direction and photography, and even the colour palette, where different shades represent different feelings, and gradients are used to show how emotions bleed into each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key idea was to \u2018feel more with English National Ballet\u2019,\u201d Leigh explains. \u201cThat might be passion, happiness, anger, sadness \u2013 whatever it is, you\u2019re free to feel it with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

EDIT\u2019s new identity work for English National Ballet<\/p>\n

EDIT also developed a new verbal identity, which Leigh says had been under-used in the brand\u2019s previous incarnation. The new tone of voice leans into this sense of emotion, and presents ballet as something for everybody.<\/p>\n

\u201cBallet is tricky because there can be a lot of language barriers,\u201d Hughes says. \u201cIf you don\u2019t feel like you understand things enough, you might feel like you don\u2019t belong there.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s not about dumbing things down, because it\u2019s obviously very technical and professional. But we could make it more inviting for people, and remove some of those barriers that unnecessarily get in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other balancing act was to ensure the new branding works alongside a wide variety of shows, community programmes, and other activity, all of which may have their own personalities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the challenge for performing arts generally is the tension between product and brand,\u201d Leigh says. \u201cYou have a broad range of product, and it changes quite quickly. What you really want to do is build the relationship with the brand, to establish who we are with audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

She points out that a classic production of Swan Lake<\/em> evokes different feelings from a cutting-edge premier from a new choreographer, but the ENB brand needs to work across the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to have a strong sense of identity over and above the performance itself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/d3faj0w6aqatyx.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ENB_CS_PR-Images_Landscape-Video-5.mp4<\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cYou will see the logo often sits right in the middle of the posters, which is very unusual,\u201d Hughes adds. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s a signal for people to have a relationship with the organisation itself, and not just a particular show.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new website<\/a> was created by London-based agency HdK<\/a>, which like EDIT and Boardroom Consulting specialises in working with cultural institutions. Leigh says the site\u2019s more user-friendly design reflects the broader ambitions of the brand refresh.<\/p>\n

And she says, the ENB is excited to see where they can take the new identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reaction has been really encouraging, but I think we\u2019re just at the start,\u201d she says. \u201cWe have a system that can be flexed in lots of different ways, and we\u2019re still working out exactly what that might look like going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

EDIT\u2019s new identity work for English National Ballet
\nEDIT\u2019s new identity work for English National Ballet<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nWhat to read next: <\/strong>England Cricket unveils roarsome new brand to capitalise on \u201cexciting time\u201d<\/a> | Derek&Eric heroes \u201cthe dude\u201d logo for innocent\u2019s brand refresh<\/a> | Without creates new brand for Sleepover airport nap pods<\/a> | Neighbourhood app Nextdoor relaunches with new brand and product design<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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