Assignment #5: Initial Research

Okay, so the first logo I am interested in redesigning is for Spring Awakening, a musical. It was originally a play which was published in 1891, but was adapted into a musical that debuted on Broadway in 2006. My dear friend Amelia has been begging me to listen to the soundtrack for months now, and I finally caved and decided to listen to it. Of course, I loved it. Like a lot. It has been the soundtrack of my life in quarantine for the past few weeks lol. 

I want to update the logo, because I just really think it could use a new design that reflects more about the show, without giving too much away. Below are some of the past logos that have been used in different productions of the show. I think these logos are pretty basic and have some issues. I have a real problem with the last logo(the pink one), because it really does not reflect the show's gritty, angsty, I-don't-care-what-you-think nature at all.

One thing that I appreciate about this show is the set, or lack-there-of (I thought I should mention that I watched the show). The minimal set (pictured below) allows the audience to focus on the stories being portrayed instead of the locations, even though those locations are clear. My absolute favorite part of the set is the tree-like shadows of the floor, as trees/branches are relevant to the story. The lighting in this show is very dark and dramatic, helping the floor pop. I definitely want to somehow incorporate this shadowy motif in my logo. They also use chairs a lot, which might be something interesting to include.

This show touches on heavy topics such as sexuality, suicide, religion, rape, discipline, and education, and I feel like it's logo should show that its a heavier show. That being said, there are definitely light moments, and I don't want a logo so dark that it would deter potential audience members. 

The last set of pictures I am including is of some other redesigns of this logo. Some aspects of them I like, and others I don't, but they are all informative in my research. The first one is my favorite. 

(Also, this has absolutely nothing to do with my post, but I thought I'd mention that Lauren Pritchard, a singer/songwriter from Jackson, played Ilse in the original cast of this show. She came to talk to us in Renaissance Theatre last semester and performed a concert at the gazebo. Just thought I'd throw in that bit of random cool info lol.)

So, I'm finally gonna end my super enthusiastic, probably boring TED talk on the Spring Awakening logo. I'm honestly pretty excited about this assignment, and I have lots of ideas already. If lockdown is boring you to death, give this musical a listen. You can find the original Broadway soundtrack and plenty of productions on YouTube. And remember, ALL THINGS will turn out fine!(If you've seen the show, I hope you enjoyed my little cheesy pun. I've been trying to come up with one this whole time lol.) Now stop what you're doing, and GO LISTEN TO SPRING AWAKENING!!!