THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA
2021/2022 BROCHURE
DESIGN PROSE
Course: CCT305H5 (Design and Implementation of Multimedia Documents)
Medium: InDesign, Photoshop
Styles & Techniques: Publication/Print Design
This promotional and informational brochure for the National Ballet of Canada (NBC) was created to highlight their winter/spring lineup for the 2021/2022 season. To accurately reflect the NBC's esteemed image, the design strictly adhered to established branding guidelines and considered the company's target demographics.
While subscribers remained a highly valued consumer group throughout the pandemic, a key objective for NBC was to attract newcomers and expand its consumer base. As public venues reopened, this brochure would have served to inform both existing and prospective patrons that the 2021/2021 season will proceed as planned.
TWO-PAGE BROCHURE LAYOUT
The brochure's cover immediately catches the reader's eye with the campaign-specific 'Return to Stage' sub-logo, strategically placed below the National Ballet's official logo to emphasize the company's reopening. The colour scheme, utilizing rubine pink and black spot colours, plays a dual role: the pink and white hues evoke the NBC's traditionalism and the romanticism of ballet, while the black tones highlight its modern image.
The use of contemporary sans-serif fonts, such as Helvetica, reinforces this modern aesthetic and contributes to the brochure's clean layout. This clean design is further maintained through the selection of stock photographs with ample white space.
As indicated in the credits, the brochure's cover, centrefold, and back images feature captivating photographs from Rudolph Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty and Karen Kain’s new staging of Swan Lake. Adhering to assignment guidelines, all are stock photographs used to authentically replicate the visual essence of both productions and NBC's intrinsic photographic style. Overall, the brochure strongly reflects the NBC’s standard emphasis on imagery in all promotional materials, showcasing the artistry and professionalism of their dancers, costumes, and sets. The strategic placement of these images provides readers with compelling previews of the season's proudest achievements.
The brochure's concise, two-page structure is specifically designed to prevent new balletgoers from feeling overwhelmed. It presents brief yet in-depth descriptions of the NBC's performances from March to June 2021 in a neat, vertical row. Each description is accompanied by a well-sized thumbnail depicting a key scene from the production.
These thumbnails address a common issue with the NBC's current season brochure format, which can span up to twelve pages of show photographs and descriptions. While appealing to existing ballet lovers and patrons, this brochure aims to attract casual passersby and encourage them to purchase tickets or a full subscription. Therefore, a quick read-through is essential to successfully retain the attention of newcomers.
