Brand Identity · Visual Systems · Illustration · 2023
Sarasota Orchestra Rebrand
a complete visual identity overhaul for one of florida's most beloved cultural institutions — built to resonate with sarasota's soul.
role
Lead Designer · Art Director · Brand Strategist
tools
Illustrator · Photoshop · InDesign
deliverables
Sarasota Orchestra approached us with a clear mission: modernize their visual identity without losing the soul of what makes them a cornerstone of Florida's cultural life. As the oldest professional orchestra in the Southeast, they carry real weight - their season sells out, their name carries prestige, and their audiences span three generations.
The brief was to create a system that feels both timeless and alive - one that could sit on a concert hall banner and a phone screen with equal confidence. We were given creative latitude to reimagine the logomark and build a full identity system: color, typography, print collateral, and environmental mockups throughout the city.
client
Sarasota Orchestra
project type
Brand Identity · Print · Environmental
year
2023
tools
Logo Exploration
finding the mark
The logomark went through several rounds of exploration before landing on the final direction. We examined abstract wave forms, musical notation-inspired glyphs, and geometric interpretations of the Florida coastline. The goal was a mark that could carry equal weight in a concert program and a city billboard.
logo exploration rounds - abstract wave marks, musical notation glyphs, and coastal geometry
Visual System
the palette of sarasota's sky
The color system was entirely pulled from Sarasota's iconic sunsets - the warm oranges bleeding into deep plum, the golden yellows catching on the Gulf water. We wanted someone who'd never heard of the orchestra to look at the palette and immediately feel Florida. The black-and-white anchors kept it sophisticated and appropriate for formal print.
billboard and banner mockups - color system pulled directly from sarasota sunsets
Challenges
designing for legacy and relevance at once
The hardest part was creating something that existing patrons wouldn't reject. Sarasota Orchestra has loyalists who've attended for 30+ years. The rebrand had to feel like an evolution, not a replacement. Every decision had to be defensible to a board who loved the old identity.
The color system also required careful calibration. Too vibrant and it read as theme-park Florida. Too muted and it lost the energy that makes Sarasota's arts scene worth celebrating. Landing in that narrow window took many rounds of testing across print and digital simultaneously.
What I Learned
brand identity is never just visual
This project taught me that the best identities carry the weight of their institution's story. I learned to design with restraint - that a single well-chosen color can communicate more than a complex gradient. The logo explorations showed me that the mark you reject teaches you as much as the mark you keep.
I also walked away with a deeper appreciation for environmental design. Seeing how a logo shifts across a billboard at 60mph vs. a ticket stub held in hand vs. a mobile app icon - that's where the real system-level thinking lives, and it's where I want to keep pushing my work.
Outcome
an identity as wide as the city itself
The final system was presented to the orchestra's board and creative leadership and received full approval in the first review cycle - a first for the organization. The rebrand rolled out across all concert season materials, digital platforms, and environmental installations throughout Sarasota. It became the visual anchor for the orchestra's most attended season in five years.
1st
board approval in a single review - no revision cycles
6+
touchpoints designed - from logo to merch to billboard
5 yr
most attended concert season since the rebrand launched
100%
system coverage - print, digital, environmental, and merch