The Schauspielhaus is one of the largest theatre and opera houses in Germany. Director Frank Baumbauer and Creative Director Wilfried Schulz hold their tenure for five years and work with the same basic troupe – all originating from Switzerland’s Theater Basel – determined to present modern theatre in a radical way. Stefanie Karp contacted RS wanting a visual identity that did justice to their experimental aims.

The final design was developed in close collaboration with the theatre, fixed on the concept of discovering at precisely what point chaos becomes structure.

This was exemplified by the dislocated and disjointed use of OCR, the computer recognition typeface, normally used for the accurate digital transfer of information. We took colours, typefaces, symbols and shapes to the point of collapse. Pictograms were extensively used because of their theatrical connotations, to achieve a sense of visual mime.

Just as the unusual bi-monthly programme folds out into a concertina, the theatre did
not want normal promotional posters to announce their first productions. Different phrases were taken from plays being presented in the season, selected for their dramatic, provocative content. The full repertoire is run out at the base of the poster.

Initially, the theatre-going Hamburg public disliked the new, apparently dangerous Schauspielhaus design and they felt extremely uncomfortable with it. Years later, it has become a harmless tradition and a convention through familiarity.