London Soundtrack Festival identity celebrates sound in motion
Baxter and Bailey created the branding for the new annual festival, which honours the art of the soundtrack across film, television and games
A great soundtrack has the ability to transform a piece of entertainment. Just imagine Jaws without its iconic two-note motif, or The White Lotus sans Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s brilliantly leftfield title music, which has become a certified dancefloor filler.
Home to many well-known studios, musicians, facilities and creative artists from across all music disciplines, London has emerged as one of the most important centres for soundtracks in the world over the years.
To mark the city’s significant contribution to the artform, broadcaster, producer and musician Tommy Pearson has launched a new annual festival dedicated entirely to soundtracks – honouring the artists who create them, the conductors who bring them to life and the musicians who perform them.
Launched with the help of co-founder and president Svitlana Gunning, London Soundtrack Festival’s inaugural year includes highlights such as Hildur Guðnadóttir, the Icelandic composer and cellist behind Joker and Chernobyl, in concert at the Southbank Centre, and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra playing music from an array of iconic games at the Roundhouse.
Baxter and Bailey was commissioned to bring the festival to life with a vibrant visual identity that has motion at its heart. “Cinema screens, television screens and gaming screens: we experience soundtracks via screen-based media and formats. So naturally, we found our answer on screen,” says the agency.
The team developed a kinetic, shape-shifting set of screen-inspired grids, which are used to hold a variety of content ranging from typography and colour to still imagery and video.
They also designed a flexible, lightweight and highly accessible website for the festival. And as a bonus track for eagle-eyed soundtrack fans, the festival logotype also contains a hidden nod to their favourite acronym.
Pearson, who is artistic director for the festival, says he hopes the branding “articulates the excitement, diversity and beauty of the soundtracks we’re celebrating perfectly”.
