The Client

Burnkit, a Vancouver-based design studio working with some of the world’s most culturally influential brands, was awarded a full visual rebrand project for San Francisco Ballet, the oldest ballet company in North America and one of the most prominent. San Francisco Ballet has been both a founding voice in American ballet and a creative engine for the art form globally. With a new Artistic Director at the helm, the Company was entering an era of evolved creativity. Burnkit was tasked with translating that shift into a striking new visual identity.

 

The Ask

PUBLiSH led the narrative development for Burnkit’s rebrand, working alongside their in-house design team to ensure the verbal identity carried the same clarity and creative strength as the new visual system.

 

Phase I

San Francisco Ballet urgently needed campaign materials to promote an upcoming season, even as the new brand was still in development. Burnkit tasked us with creating copy that could speak to this emerging artistic direction, bringing clarity and cohesion to the first public-facing materials of the new era.

 

Phase II

After the success of the first project, Burnkit engaged us to write the copy for the anchor piece of the rebrand: the new website. Our work was to create an elevated tone and voice that could accompany the new website design but, more importantly, could stand alone to represent the artistic legacy and evolving future of the cultural institution.

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The Goals

• Support Burnkit’s in-house team by integrating seamlessly into their creative workflow

• Deliver high-quality copy under tight and changing timelines

• Articulate the Company’s creative evolution and future direction in clear, compelling language

• Apply the new brand across web, campaign, and marketing materials

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The Result

With immovable deadlines, we began shaping the brand narrative while Burnkit’s designers finalized visual elements, allowing both teams to move forward in lockstep. The result was a streamlined brand experience: striking visuals and a confident, expressive voice that felt unmistakably San Francisco Ballet.

 

Burnkit was happy with the elevated storytelling and seamless collaboration. San Francisco Ballet was equally pleased, launching the new site on time and with a brand voice that met the moment.

 

We’re grateful to Burnkit for bringing us into this project and honoured to have shaped the words that will begin the iconic San Francisco Ballet’s next chapter.