The Art of a Brand
Collaboration with Arena Stage and Lux Art Institute spawns gallery exhibit in New York, garners top design awards
SAN DIEGO, January 3, 2007 — Successful brands are rarely considered a work of art. But this month MiresBall, one of the largest independent brand design firms in Southern California, is making noise in the art world with its creative and strategic work for Lux Art Institute in Encinitas, California and the Arena Stage theater in Washington, D.C.
The creative leadership of MiresBall debut this month at the Society of Illustrators in New York City.
From May 24 to June 23, the Society will exhibit 33 original illustrations that have become a hallmark of the Arena Stage brand since it began collaborating with MiresBall in 1998.
Arena Stage is one of the first national theaters to abandon the use of individual show logos and stage shots, and adopt branded typography and iconic illustrations to promote productions.
The exhibit honors the 10th anniversary of Arena’s Artistic Director Molly Smith, whose commitment to bold presentation in the visual arts has guided Washington’s largest regional theater since she took the helm in 1997. Upon her arrival, Smith embarked on an ambitious initiative with MiresBall to rebrand Arena to reflect this new artistic mission—a partnership that continues to this day.
The cornerstone of this brand effort was commissioning world-class original artworks with a strong visual narrative to represent each show in the season and lend a visual signature to the brand.
Ten seasons later, the annual Arena campaign has become an instantly recognizable and widely admired anthology of contemporary illustration—one that continuously raises the brand identity of the theater.
“Using narrative illustrations keeps the presentation fresh each season, while lending continuity to the Arena brand, and I think uniting these works in the Society’s exhibit underscores that accomplishment,” explained Scott Mires, principal and creative director at MiresBall
“Arena Stage at the Society of Illustrators” will feature works by Mike Benny, Marc Burckhardt, Olaf Hajek, Jody Hewgill, Gary Kelley, Wilson McLean, Balvis Rubess and Mark Ulriksen. The exhibit runs from May 24–June 23, 2007 at The Society of Illustrators, Museum of American Illustration, 128 East 63rd Street, New York, NY 10021. For more information about Arena Stage, visit www.arenastage.org.
MiresBall takes center stage once again in the visual arts world, this time in California. For the sixth consecutive year, MiresBall was recognized by the American Association of Museums (AAM) for its design efforts on behalf of Lux Art Institute. The Institute won first place awards for best marketing/public relations materials and for best invitation to an event. The awards were for museums with budgets under $750,000.
This year’s AAM contest drew 1,040 entries from museums throughout North America, with only 26 receiving first place prizes.
"This ongoing national recognition within the museum community helps give a growing organization like Lux an added level of credibility, which in turn helps us to generate the local support needed to sustain the Institute,” said John Ball, principal and creative director at MiresBall and a founding board member of Lux. For more information about Lux, visit www.luxartinstitute.com.
About MiresBall
Founded in 1984, MiresBall is one of the largest independent brand design agencies in Southern California. A trusted partner of leading national and global brands, MiresBall creates market differentiation by bringing together two powerful ideas—lifestyle and innovation. The agency’s expertise lies in developing and implementing fully integrated marketing campaigns encompassing positioning, identity development, messaging, advertising and print, packaging, tradeshow environment and Web design. For more information about MiresBall, visit www.miresball.com.
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