zürcher theater spektakel 2021
campaign and visual communication for one of europe’s largest festivals for the contemporary performing arts. normally, the diverse programme attracts well over 100,000 visitors to the various venues each year. however, the 2021 edition was not taking place with tens of thousands of people, but focused on high-profile events with ticket sales and a safety concept.
to create the campaign, we’ve collaborated with artist and photographer jean-vincent simonet. the expressive visuals show protagonists of the upcoming performances. simonet combined old manual photographic techniques with new digital retouching methods in a specially devised experimental process. the radiant and fluid works, which look like a mix of photography and oil painting, have an exuberance that reflects the dense programme.
(sound on)
project details
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zürcher theater spektakel is one of europe’s leading festivals for contemporary performing arts, attracting more than 100,000 visitors in a typical year. in 2021, the festival adapted to the ongoing pandemic, focusing on selected high-profile performances with ticket sales and a dedicated safety concept rather than bringing together its usual large audiences.
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the campaign was developed in collaboration with artist and photographer jean-vincent simonet. his distinctive visual language offered a way to reflect the energy, diversity and intensity of the festival programme through expressive images of the protagonists and performances featured in the festival.
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simonet combined traditional manual photographic techniques with digital retouching in an experimental process developed specifically for the campaign. the resulting images are radiant, fluid and richly textured, creating an aesthetic that moves between photography and oil painting.
the expressive visuals give the campaign a distinctive presence, translating the festival’s diverse programme into a coherent visual language while retaining the unexpected character of contemporary performance art.
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the campaign was applied across a range of festival communication materials, including posters, the programme newspaper, advertising and the festival environment. the imagery was carried consistently across different formats, creating a recognisable visual presence for the 2021 edition.
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client: zürcher theater spektakel
year: 2021 (ongoing since 2018)
location: zurich, switzerland
services: campaign concept, art direction, graphic design, visual communication and editorial design -
responsible for concept, art direction and design: studio marcus kraft (in collaboration with marlon ilg); jean-vincent simonet (artwork), michel fries (layout), highfive (web development)
zürcher theater spektakel: sarah wendle, veit kälin, matthias von hartz (co-direction), remo bitzi, marc schwegler (communication), esther schmid (consulting), cynthia domfe (marketing), josefine stähli (operations office)