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Wairua
Brand identity created for BATS Theatre 30 year anniversary celebration. UX/UI, digital & static advertising.
Check out the live mock-up: https://wairua.webflow.io
This project was completed alongside awastudio.co.nz at Massey University Wellington (2019).
The Brief
To celebrate their 30 year anniversary, BATS Theatre put on a series of plays based on the music of Warren Maxwell. The brief for this project was to design their identity across several platforms (web, static advertisement and video advertisement.
The Problem – Cohesion
There were three plays in the series, each about a different song, each with different themes and attitudes. The issue was that there needed to be a central element that could be used to represent not only the series as a whole, but also an altered version of that element that could be used to give each play its own identity. The series also needed to really highlight the views and feelings that align with the music of Warren Maxwell.
The Solution
It was decided that the series would be named ‘Wairua {The Spirit of Aotearoa}’ The name was derived from hours of listening and interpreting the music of Warren Maxwell, eventualluy distilling it down to a small number of over arching themes. Wairua is the Te Reo word for spirit, which felt fitting when put in the context of Warren Maxwell’s Aotearoa.
The solution for the central defining element came in the form of the ‘orb’ as it became affectionately known – an abstract render of spirit, hope and history. Each play was assigned its own ‘Orb’ as it’s visual identity, helping to tie it back to the identity of the brand.
Note: This website features a toggle to adjust from English to Te Reo Maori.
Future Extensions / Revisions
Time pressure was a big factor with this project, while I am happy in theory with the outcome, I am not 100% sold on the aesthetic execution. I would love to have been able to give every element slightly more of my time – but I guess thats just how the cookie crumbles sometimes!
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