Los Angeles Master ChoraleIn Harmony

While exploring the many facets of the Los Angeles Master Chorale through the contemporary lens of its home city, we recognized this misunderstood art form as primal and deeply human. The resulting brand celebrates the “Voices of LA,” challenges the visual codes of chorale and classical music, and aligns with the personable vibe of Southern California.

Although LA isn’t typically considered a birthplace of the classical performing arts, it is perhaps unexpectedly home to “the nation’s most pioneering major chorus." The Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale, an independent and innovative professional vocal ensemble, performs classical and contemporary compositions at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall – an icon of the city. The group shares this architectural masterpiece with the celebrated LA Philharmonic, with which it frequently performs. But the chorale desired its own identity, brand and marketing strategy that would set it apart from both the venue and its other occupant, and evolve it into an “icon” in its own right.

In collaborating with the Master Chorale, we sought to rethink the visual codes of classical music. An early insight was recognizing that singing is one of the first arts. Incredibly egalitarian, it requires no tools or instrumentation, and has a nearly transcendental effect on those who hear it, regardless of background. In our increasingly digital world, a thoroughly analog, elemental art form like choral singing is as compelling and relevant as ever.

With this in mind, we drew inspiration from the deeply personal aspects of vocal chorus to create a set of custom typefaces that reference sheet music, and as well evoke the mechanics and feeling of the human voice.

We also wanted to profoundly connect the Master Chorale with contemporary LA. Looking beyond the concert hall, we fashioned a unique voice that acts and appears deeply human, sun drenched, and as unexpected as the chorus itself.

No longer simply “the voice of the Walt Disney Concert Hall", the Master Chorale now represents the many “Voices of LA.” These resonate and reverberate far and wide thanks to a post-rebrand dramatic increase in ticket sales, memberships and donor gifts – signalling a change of tune for the chorale’s bright and sunny future.