The Public Theatre had many names. While undergoing reconstruction, one of their many concerns was to create an identity. They wanted a name which would help them breathe as an institution.
“It had to be populous. I knew it had to be New-Yorkish, meaning it had to be loud and proud.” says Paula Scher, the designer who was given the project to resolve the name issue. The word “theatre” which was initially placed at the bottom of the logo was removed at a later stage which gave more emphasis to the public, the organisation as a whole and not just the theatre building. The one thing that all the versions have in common is the dense spacing and varying widths of the letters. The different weights represented all of New York in its architectural form.
Scher believed that typography can create immense power. She designed the logo in such a way that if you take any sans-serif typeface and write it with the same intensity and proportions it would be instantly associated with The Public’s logo. The reason the system was made so flexible was because they knew many designers would be handling it over the years. Another one of the reasons was so that various event posters and advertisements which were designed over the years, would fit in with the design elements of that of the logo. The bold woody capital letters gave a very clear and loud message which suited well in the busy streets of New York.
“The original identity responded to The Public’s mission to provide accessible and innovative performances, creating a graphic language that reflects street typography in its extremely active, unconventional and almost graffiti-like juxtaposition.” (Pentagram, 2019)
Aarushi Jindal 