Studio54
Identity
Typeface
Studio 54 was a hugely exclusive disco nightclub in Manhattan active between 1977 and 1980. It is known for its celebrity guests, extravagant events, unrestrained drug use and open sexual activity. It was a safe haven for people from discriminated communities to come and express them- selves freely. Andy Warhol described it as “a dictatorship at the entrance, a democracy on the dance floor”. The brief was to rebrand the club and make it relevant to a new audience in 2023.
What if:
Studio 54 starts organising pop-up parties in countries where LGBTQ+ rights have been violated?
Its biggest asset was its exclusivity - this was also the biggest challenge I encountered: how does exclusivity look in increasively inclusive times?
The new logo is a re-drawn version of the original logo and features the numbers 5 and 4 in a strong, art-deco font. I drew the rest of the numbers to match the original 5 and 4. They are used throughout the identity with Coign 44 Regular by Colophon as the secondary typeface.
The identity is based on the idea of secrecy, the numbers on the left side representing the coordinates of the party (North - vertical, West - horizontal) and the date and time of the party on the right. Since the countries in which the parties will be organised are not always safe for LGBTQ+ people, the secrecy is a crucial step in ensuring the safety of the party- goers.