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Three black poster frames stand on a white pavement against a red brick building. The first poster features a person in a white T-shirt and crown, with the text “Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir” and “Joe’s Pub”.

Paula Scher returns to NYC's Public Theater graphics with new campaign

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Date
4 September 2014

Pentagram partner Paula Scher first designed a poster for New York’s Public Theater back in the mid-1990s, then in 2008 she refreshed the institution’s whole identity. Now, 20 years after her initial work for the theatre, Paula has worked with Public’s senior graphic designer Kirstin Huber on the visuals for the 2014/15 season.

“Set in Knockout, the font of the Public identity, the season typography skews right or left in alternating bands or plays off strong photography,” the Pentagram website explains. “The campaign updates the classic pop look of the Public Theater graphics, which incorporate photographic images against flat colour backgrounds, this time in an arresting palette of black, white and yellow.”

Appearing across posters, the official brochure, external print ads and on a newly-designed website, this is an eye-catching new identity that pays tribute to its respected graphic design heritage.

Two bold typographic posters in yellow, black and white. The first lists plays including “Winter’s Tale”, “Solitude”, “Wars”, “White Men”, “Hamilton”, “Toast”, “Bent” and “Bottom”. The second features praise for “Joe’s Pub” in New York, using large words such as “Top”, “Intimate”, “Multicultural”, “Royalty”, “Downtown” and “Eclectic”.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

A black, white and yellow graphic poster for the Public Theater. A person in a suit leaps across the left side, while portraits of two people are integrated into large, stylised numbers on the right. Text reads “National Theater” and “Season 15”.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

Four black and white posters for theatrical productions. Each design uses bold, high-contrast typography and photography, with one side featuring a white background and the other a black background.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

A black and white double-page spread featuring two different theatre productions. The left page reads “Mobile Shakespeare Unit” and shows three people in a rehearsal space. The right page reads “Straight White Men” and shows five people sitting together.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

A series of four black and white posters for various stage performances. Each layout pairs a high-contrast photograph of a performer with bold, sans-serif typography, such as “Toast”, “Here Lies Love” and “Free Shakespeare in the Park”.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

A black and white promotional flyer for The Public Theater. Large, bold text reads “SUPPORT THE PUBLIC” above details for membership and supporter programs. The right side of the page features a photo of the theatre exterior and the call to action “BOOK YOUR TICKETS TODAY!”.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

Two event posters for “Joe’s Pub at The Public”. The first has a yellow background and features a person in a floral headpiece and outfit, with text reading “Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir”. The second is black and white, featuring the text “Mother Falcon” above a line-up of people standing in a field.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

Two event posters for Joe’s Pub. The first is black and white, featuring two people and the text “Leonid Federov & Vladimir Volkov” for “Jun 27 & 28”. The second has a yellow background and shows a person in a black shirt with the text “Mikky Ekko” for “Aug 13”.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

Two posters side by side. The first is black and white with yellow accents, showing two figures leaping over the bold text “The Fortress of Solitude”. The second has a bright yellow background and features a person in a dress beside a pram containing two dogs, above the title “Rock Bottom”.
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Paula Scher/Kirstin Huber: Public Theater 2014/15 season graphics

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

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