Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness (CWKTSoF) is a multi-disciplinary performance piece commissioned for the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in collaboration with Carnegie Hall, based on the work of visual artist James Drake. The project premiered at the unique space of the Brockman Hall for Opera at Rice University in January 2024, with plans for an international tour. The immersive performance brings together visual art, music, dance, movement, and spoken word. The award-winning team behind CWSKoF includes composer Gabriela Ortiz, author Benjamin Sáenz, and singers from The Crossing in a choral performance conducted by Donald Nally. A crucial aspect of CWKTSoF is community engagement: in each city where the piece is staged, it incorporates young singers and dancers and US Military Veterans in workshops and performances.

Studio Loutsis developed the brand strategy for CWKTSoF and designed its logo, website, print materials, social media, and other assets. Our challenge: to design a visually cohesive identity for a complex and eclectic organization. We wanted to reflect several key concepts, including movement and possibility. Drake’s drawings depict visual movement, which has been translated into physical movement on the stage. The idea of possibility is inherent in the experimental nature of the piece and in both the tension and relief of forgiveness. As consulting producer Terrie Sultan notes, “The very notion of forgiveness is both universal and impossible.”

The clean minimalism of the logo provides a cohesive underpinning for the diverse elements of the performance, hinted at in the mix of serif and sans serif Suisse fonts. The alabaster, black, and white color scheme can be enhanced by occasional pops of color derived from contextual photographs, just as the performance incorporates elements of its environment. The extended caesura between the words “of” and “forgiveness” provides a literal space for possibility and for multiple answers to the title question. For each performance, the space within the logo varies to accommodate that city’s cast and performers, creating a system that is both flexible and consistent.