Brand Identity For Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The TSO wasn’t lacking prestige—it was lacking warmth.
Underline reimagined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s brand to better reflect its mission of connecting audiences with the emotional power of orchestral music. The new identity features an animated logo expressing movement and connection, supported by abstract musical forms that symbolize emotion and storytelling. The refreshed system extends across print and digital applications, creating a cohesive and contemporary presence for the orchestra.
Insights
- The main challenge wasn’t quality but perception: TSO was admired for artistic excellence, yet felt “prestigious but not necessarily personal” to people who had never been. Underline’s response was to make it feel joinable and emotionally legible, not to reinvent the institution.
- The core design move is the animated “S” in Symphony, which responds dynamically to the music being played. That single letter becomes the motion device that ties the brand directly to the live performance experience.
- The system expands into abstract musical forms and bold, round graphic elements derived from musical notation, described as a “symbolic expression of the brand's essence.” The visual language is meant to communicate emotion, storytelling, and movement across print and digital.
- Underline paired a classic serif with a contemporary sans to balance heritage and forward motion. The identity was built to “evolve alongside the organization” and support the TSO’s next chapter.
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