Friday, May 5, 2023

2022 - 2023 Logos: Shucked

2022 - 2023 Logos:
Shucked

With today's breakdown of the key art to the musical Shucked, every logo of each musical production that opened in the 2022-2023 season will have been analyzed. What a way to end up the season - with a show that has been an endless source of surprise and happiness since its first Broadway preview!

It should, at this point, not be surprising that this production's show art is as straightforward and clever as the show it represents. And like the musical, this logo knows what it needs to be and nothing more. I'd go so far as to say this hearkens back to the days of mega-musical iconography. Not since I got my first Cats t-shirt, have I wanted to wear a show shirt so much now. I want everyone to know that corn can, in fact, change the world one ear at a time. 

As you can see by the above photograph, Shucked's imagery passes the chief test of a logo - it is eye-catching and draws passersby to notice the theater to which it is attached. No small feat in the visual cacophony of the entire theater district. The bright yellow and vibrant leafy green are pleasing together and the black title with the bold but not distracting font contrasts perfectly.

      
Poster, magnet and Playbill

While it seems obvious to use corn as the central image of a musical about corn, what is so ingenious is that they use but one ear. One ear of perfectly formed, sun-kissed corn, with the brightness of a beam of light reverently shining behind it. The simplicity of the image instantly equates in the brain - "corn = that funny corn musical." Just like the Cats eyes and the Phantom mask before it, corn merch will soon permeate the theatrical fandom in all of its iterations.

      
Stamp, White Stylized, Pop Art

And speaking of iterations, they already have four versions of its show art. The primary logo appears on the Playbill, the window card, a magnet and the show's souvenir program. Then there's the more iconographic style of the ear of corn with an extra dash of orange on a white background, found on another magnet, a lapel pin, a baseball cap, and a tote bag. Next up: the most subtle of the versions, the "stamped" logo, resembling a stamp one might find on a barrel of corn whiskey (IYKYK), which is on a cool t-shirt that comes in a similarly "stamped" canvas bag. Finally, there's the "pop art" version, reminiscent of Obama's "Hope" campaign poster*, but also a sort of Warhol painting. 

Just like the show it represents, the logo is bright and silly. And just like the show, the people behind the key art have created it all with a savvy understanding of what it means to put together smart Broadway show advertising.

Grade: A+

*As if they read this before I posted it, it seems the PR team has kicked off their Tony Awards campaign with a "Yes We Corn" button!

#GetShucked

 

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