Making Music for All: Helping The Columbus Symphony Build a New Community Music Hall
April 30, 2024
Music is part of who we are at Origo Branding Company. Many of our team members play in bands, as well as sit on Boards for performing arts organizations, and music and sound are a vital part of many of the creative projects we work on. So when we got the opportunity to help the premier music organization in Columbus — the Columbus Symphony — with a once-in-a-lifetime project, we were beyond excited.
Columbus is the only major Ohio city without a music hall that is acoustically designed for modern classical performance. And with the arts continuing to expand in our region, the Symphony is in need of a dedicated home. So when the Columbus Symphony resolved to build a modern music hall on the Scioto Peninsula in downtown Columbus, Origo was brought on to develop a branded capital campaign with donor activation strategies to help drive fundraising for the project.
A Name That Inspires
Origo has a proven process when it comes to developing capital campaign strategies, and has proudly partnered with organizations like Stonewall Columbus to build a new headquarters and the Columbus Metropolitan Library to revamp 10 library branches. Each of these successful capital campaign strategies began with the development of a name that communicated the value of the cause clearly, sparked inspiration, and urged donors to take action.
For the Columbus Symphony music hall and education center campaign, that cause was simple but profound: making music accessible to everyone. In interviews and surveys with key Symphony stakeholders, leaders, and staff, including several of the Symphony’s talented musicians, Origo’s team was struck by the universal passion for the musical art form we encountered and their deep desire to share it with the world in the form of a new music hall.
That passion for music drove us and our Symphony partners toward a campaign name that resonates, which we titled Make Music for All. Developed in close collaboration with the Symphony team, the campaign name reflects Central Ohio’s passion for music into a rallying cry for the next chapter of performing arts in our region.
Bringing Architecture to Life in a Logo
Once we created a name, we had to ask ourselves an important question: How do you make a physical structure into a dynamic logo? In concepting, the Origo team concentrated on the building’s iconic location, modern architecture, and, most of all, the music that would be made in it.
We consulted classical, jazz, and other illustrated album covers for visual inspiration, reviewed early renderings of the building, and even attended a Symphony concert to get the creativity flowing. The result was a logo that reflects the new music hall’s clean lines, organic silhouette, and mission of community and music.
Featuring a series of flowing, overlapping panels in multiple colors, the logo evokes both the sound-enhancing panelwork of modern music halls and the layering dynamic of music being played together by a full orchestra — a diverse community of instruments united into one sound, and one remarkable new landmark.
Sleek Design to Advance a Community Mission
The Columbus Symphony is known as our city’s flagship music performance organization. But its mission is twofold. In addition to fantastic performances, the Symphony weaves music into the community through its youth orchestra, individual performers who teach music and play across the region, and programs that bring music into classrooms and to lifelong learners. It was important that the Make Music for All campaign show both this community involvement and the Symphony’s artistic excellence.
So when designing the Make Music for All donor kit and activation collateral, including brochures, folders, business cards, event invitations, and other assets, we aimed to mix elegance with approachability. The result is a design that unites the clean lines of fine art with real-life photography of Symphony patrons, musicians, and community members. This unique design shows what is possible in the new music hall, building an image of it as a place where Ohioans can encounter world-class music, musical education, and a sense of community.
How You Can Help Make Music for All
The new campaign was unveiled to the public in February, and will continue into the future. If you are interested in learning more about the symphony and the campaign, visit columbussymphony.com. Want to give to help build a new musical landmark for our community? Email the Make Music for All campaign at MakeMusicForAll@columbussymphony.com.
And if you’re interested in learning more about how Origo can assist your capital campaign, please reach out. We’d love to discuss how we can help.
