Ford Theatres, aka the John Anson Ford Theatre or Ford Amphitheater, is an intimate, open-air performance space nestled into the Hollywood Hills. This hidden gem of a venue with its eclectic programming and expansive community outreach brings the arts to those who want to be close enough to touch it.

When I met the LA County Arts Commission, who operates the venue, I was struck by how much was working in their favor: great location, beautiful surroundings, strong mission, brilliant lineup of artists from every corner of LA’s cultural landscape, and the most impressive string of Yelp reviews I’ve ever read. And yet… if I mentioned the Ford to other Angelenos I’d be greeted with a blank stare. Perhaps it was the plethora of outdoor entertainment happening in LA, particularly at the neighboring Hollywood Bowl that was keeping them a secret? More likely it was their lack of identity. We were determined to bring Ford Theatres out of the shadows.

The audience familiar with the Ford love it, and aren’t shy about it. In fact, the audience had already successfully created a brand for the venue through surprisingly consistent language. We needed to create a visual world to go with it. We started with the logo – a self-contained, totally organic, hand drawn logotype designed to encapsulate the descriptives we heard over and over again: Laid Back, Friendly, Fun, Playful, Romantic, Cozy, and Welcoming. Couple the logo with a color palette sampled from the surrounding landscape and things started to take shape.

The Campaign

The Communications team had already been batting around a few campaign ideas for their summer series when we met. “Find Yourself at the Ford” was buried at the end of the list. It jumped out to me as an empowering call to action – not only to get butts in seats, but to find people like you on stage and in the seats around you. It was the perfect way to sum up the Ford’s mission to reflect the diverse cultures of LA County. And, it was memorable!

With a new look, clear message, and a small stockpile of carefully selected audience and performance images; we were poised for implementation. We designed a system of icons to reflect the look of the logo and a variety of foundation materials including a pocket calendar, postcards, web ads, digital billboards, invites, programs and more that would act as a launching point for their new visual dialogue. All materials were tied together with consistent placement of the new logo, all new typography guidelines, and a bold color palette that used the new Ford green as its base. So far the identity is hit! Staff, artists and audiences are enthusiastically embracing it and we’re excited to see how it continues to evolve.

Learn more about Ford Theatres here. @jennfuse

Just in residing here for a little over two weeks, I’ve already been enamored by the different things going on around me.

Deerfoot lamp from T.L. Gurley Odd and Unusual Antiques

Deerfoot lamp from T.L. Gurley Odd and Unusual Antiques

After meeting Jenn and the crew for the first time, I meandered a little ways down the road to be completely surrounded by antique shops. Some even boasting “strange and unusual” items. This is something that doesn’t really exist in Florida, let alone the small town of Sarasota. Of course there are antique shops, but never with the variety of items I saw displayed in my three-hour stint (and again when I trekked to the Rose Bowl). I believe you natural-born Californians really take for granted how much better the resale shopping is when you have that extra 80,000 people contributing their things from grandma’s attic.

Jenn & Monica Buckner performing ‘Shifting Sands: Age vs. Time’

Jenn and Monica Buckner (wife of 2nd intern Daniel) performing ‘Shifting Sands: Age vs. Time’

By working at the studio, I’ve become more aware of the various cultural activities happening in the LA area, some of which team Fuse are involved with personally. For example, last weekend I attended Jenn’s dance performance (Works 2012) being put on in a newly converted space in a still functioning church. Not only was the performance fantastic, but also being in a new, and unconventional space added an extra sprinkle of awesome to the overall experience. There is definitely no church/dance theatre hybrid lurking anywhere in SRQ. 
But honestly, the thing I’m most star-struck from by living here in Pasadena is the food. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I’m not ashamed to say that one of the reasons I was so excited in coming here was to have the option for a variety of meals again. Florida, but especially Sarasota is a very homogenized area and trying to get a meal that isn’t from a chain can be difficult—and healthy? Try somewhere else. But here, there is usually a separate vegetarian menu and practically everything comes with avocado! Which as you can tell, makes this person a very happy camper.

A vegetarian sandwich from Aux Delices French Bakery and Café

A vegetarian sandwich from Aux Delices French Bakery and Café

My overall goal for these next few months was experience, and because of the internship I was lucky enough to land and the area I am lucky enough to live in, it seems like getting myself involved in what’s going on around me shouldn’t be too daunting of a task. (This weekend you can find me at the Pasadena Chalk Festival and Make Music Pasadena. Art + 100 live bands, all for free! @GraceAhlizabeth)