Brand consultancy and design studio, Two Stories, rebrands London Symphony Chorus, creating a colour palette that’s joyfully inspired by the 60s and using visual representations of choral vocals to create a new, unique brand mark.

The world-class London Symphony Chorus has been exciting and inspiring its audiences and members since its formation in 1966. Originally created to complement the work of one of the world’s top orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, today the vibrant, 160-strong group of amateur choral singers partner with the very best conductors, orchestras and soloists across the globe.

“We needed a brand that reflected the future facing vision of our organisation, whilst acknowledging our history as an established, leading symphonic choir,” says Nathan Homan, Marketing and Communications Lead at the London Symphony Chorus, “The challenges of being a touring, performing arts organisation during the Covid-19 pandemic meant now was the time to focus on our rebrand and improve how we communicate across our digital platforms, to create a fresh, contemporary identity for the London Symphony Chorus to broaden its appeal and accessibility as we returned to chorus life.”

The London Symphony Chorus’s new brand is the culmination of an extensive brand process with Two Stories and focuses on the emotional response the chorus provokes, and the chorus’s passion and diversity that comes together to create one unified voice.

Visually, this translated the brand identity into a unique mark, representing the physical sound of the London Symphony Chorus. Two Stories used a recording of the chorus’s four vocal ranges – soprano, alto, tenor and bass – and ran them through digital visualisation software to look at the different ways sound waves can be imagined; layered together, the circle represents London Symphony Chorus’s one unified voice, made up of its individual parts.

Two Stories’ chosen colour palette plays an important part in the new brand, with colour pairings to mirror the four choral parts that are joyfully inspired by the 1960s pop art movement from the London Symphony Chorus’s inception. The colours are playful and engaging, whilst in the application, still feel prestigious and world-class.

The brand’s new typeface aims to resemble the heritage of the chorus while its high contrast modernises it and gives variations to the weighting, to signify the refinement of the London Symphony Chorus and the individual quality of its members.

In the logo, the ‘P’ of ‘Symphony’ & ‘H’ of ‘Chorus’ join to highlight the connection between sound and people – which is at the heart of the London Symphony Chorus’s brand purpose – while London remains independent, to emphasise the organisation’s connection to audiences all over the world through its touring.

Bekkie Hull, co-founder and Creative Director at Two Stories said: “The London Symphony Chorus is a world-class symphony chorus with a rich history that exists to be inspiring, ambitious and inclusive. The group came to us to reimagine their brand vision to be modern, accessible and engaging, and align it across all touchpoints.”

“Through our distinctive brand process, we began with extensive research and workshops with key stakeholders, including London Symphony Chorus’s council members and its 160 vocal singers, to inform the brand’s purpose and tone of voice.”

“This inspired how we visually showcased the brand, focusing on its heritage, the emotional connection between people and sound, and the coming together of choral singers from diverse backgrounds to create one community and one unified voice, to design the London Symphony Chorus logo, brand device and colour palette.”

“As a result, we have delivered a recognisable brand that echoes and brings to life the London Symphony Chorus’s heritage and values, elevates and reflects its position in the industry alongside its peers and opens the organisation up to a wider, more diverse audience.”

“The creativity, energy and commitment Two Stories has put into this project is evident in the remarkable new brand and website they have created for London Symphony Chorus,” continued Nathan Homan, Marketing and Communications Lead at the London Symphony Chorus. “The new brand blends the chorus’s classical beginnings with its new modern, forward-looking approach, while its integral message is rooted in the coming together of a diverse range of singers to create one community and one voice.”

“We have been so impressed with all Two Stories has done for the London Symphony Chorus,” added Owen Hanmer, Chair of the London Symphony Chorus. “From the new brand creation to the high standard of design and construction of our new website, through to the advice, service and consultancy provided throughout the process, we feel extremely grateful and lucky to have worked with Two Stories on this very important project for the London Symphony Chorus.”

The London Symphony Chorus’s new website is now live at lsc.org.uk and the branding features on the Chorus’s social channels and owned media.