We have had the pleasure of working with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (DSSO) for several years. Each time we've developed artwork for them has been a fun undertaking as the DSSO makes each of their seasons a unique and memorable experience for their audience. The 2020/2021 season was no exception. The Symphony wanted this particular season's theme to be that of celebration in honor of their 90th anniversary. The season's theme would need to be flexibly design so its use could span across print and digital promotional mediums.

Starting with the season's brochure, we wanted to ensure celebration was front and center throughout the entire design. A photoshoot was conducted to capture the sense of celebration from the orchestra's members themselves. Depicting the musicians in an elated, unexpected way, helps peaks viewers' interests and compels them to explore the brochure further. As a 90th anniversary is an exceptional milestone, a specific wordmark was created to recognize the occasion. The wordmark purposefully holds its own identity as well as compliments DSSO's existing logo through the use of larger, bookending circles.

Within the brochure, the theme of celebration continues through the use of bright colors and lively shapes. To showcase each concerts' uniqueness, every event has its own composition. The colors and imagery were deliberately chosen to highlight individual characteristics of each respective show. Red, for example, was selected for Mozart's symphony no. 40 to tie into Mozart's famously worn red coat as well as to show the piece's connection to the Soviet Union. The concert imagery includes the musicians and instruments at the center of the piece in addition to photos that capture the story the music reveals. As music is a full experience, each piece of concert artwork was designed to display a variety of movement one would experience during a performance. Each individual concert art also ties back to DSSO's logo, adding continuity to the overall design.Still in alignment with the rest of the shows, we took a slightly altered approach to highlighting DSSO's Pops concerts. As these shows are meant to present a lighter fare of orchestral works, we kept the Pops artwork more playful. The artwork for these shows is more focused on the concert's well-known pop culture affiliation to drive further interest. Enjoy the celebration-filled designs below as we helped the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra honor their 90 years!