Stylistically, the new wordmark draws on the venue’s Victorian heritage through “subtle sign-painted cues” as well as nods to an era where the Hall’s cultural cachet was built. Diverting easy nostalgia, the wordmark looks rooted and distinctive. In support, Brandpie introduced Aktiv Grotesk as the core type system, building upon the brand’s previous typeface which couldn’t express enough range across platforms. Now, Aktiv gives the Hall an unified and singular typeface that delivers flexibility across safety messaging to kids’ events and VIP offers.
“Across the rest of the identity, the goal was simplification, clarity and ease of use. The Hall had been working with a large and complex colour palette. It was hard to deploy consistently and diluted recognition,” says Deva. “We refined this to a single signature red. It is brighter and more energetic, but still appropriate to the Hall.” Rooted in respect for the venue itself, the colour palette was inspired by a painting of Nile Rodgers by Christabel Blackburn displayed inside the hall – and now it acts as the key recognition driver for communications and wayfinding.
But the biggest challenge of approaching such a titanic visual identity wasn’t the deep heritage or the prospect of delivering on a beloved venue (sometimes charmingly referred to as The Cake Tin), but the reality of how the Hall operates internally. For any designer, the following may chill you; budgets must be carefully justified, decisions go through trustees, every investment needs to demonstrate clear value and each design choice must be airtight, cost-effective and deliverable.
It goes to show that some of the best design rises to the top naturally, against all odds – Brandpie’s ability to shape a pragmatic and robust identity, whilst balancing history with modernisation, is a tribute to the past 153 years of the Royal Albert Hall. “We didn’t want to update the Hall by smoothing away its character. We wanted to amplify what already makes it iconic, then express it with clarity and confidence for today’s audiences,” says Deva. “Together we built a system that honours the Hall’s legacy, but also equips its internal team to bring it to life independently, consistently and with pride from day one.”