The Academy

Legendary acting school to the stars

A calling to greatness

For over 130 years, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts has had stunning reputation of influential alumni, as well as countless prominent and influential names from all disciplines within the entertainment industry. The Academy alumni hold a total of 105 Oscar®, 273 Emmy®, and 90 Tony® nominations.

We teamed up with Buzz Architect, the agency of record, to first understand the heart of The Academy’s story. After nearly a month in discovery, one of the key takeaways we learned was the incredible process and preparation The Academy teaches.

After we had a deep understanding of the story, we began building a strategic campaign around the narrative. Every detail, from the colors, typography, photography and messaging was carefully curated to match the heart of The Academy’s story.

Research proved the majority of students choose The Academy for it’s alumni. We used this insight to establish credibility in many pieces through visuals and statistics.

During the 20th Century, The Academy became widely known as the “Cradle to the Stars” due to its stunning reputation of influential alumni.

With schools in Los Angeles and New York City, it was was important to build a cohesive look for each campus. Typography and colors were carefully selected to give the collateral a rich, timeless feel indicative of the 1930s “Golden Era” of film.

We spent months redesigning the look-and-feel of many pieces to match a timeless, iconic tone, and created flexible templates that could be used for future campaigns.

“You cannot be a great artist without having a great spirit of unselfishness.”

—Franklin Haven Sargent, Founder of The Academy, 1880

In addition to the brand and print work, we also created an event signup page template that could be translated seamlessly to any region, aiding Buzz Architect, who manages hundreds of events for The Academy each year.

We helped identify and refine an iconic color palette, carefully matching Pantone colors that would maintain integrity, and translate beautifully in any medium selected.

What We Did:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Content Strategy
  • Creative Direction
  • Copywriting
  • Photography Direction
  • Brand Design
  • Visual Design