Digital screen in the Christchurch Town Hall, displaying a purple and bright pink event creative for a CSO Masterworks concert.

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra

Tradition’s great. Until it stops you from moving. CSO knew their future depended on bringing in a new crowd. How do you modernise a beloved institution—while staying in tune with its most loyal fans? 

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Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
Illustration
Photography
Print & Digital
OOH
Signage

2023

CSO uses its passion for and expertise in music to serve the community by strengthening the lives of the people within it. On stage, this means experiences that move hearts, open minds, and invite new perspectives. Off stage, it means placing our artistry where it matters most: in schools, prisons, hospitals, libraries, aged care facilities, youth environments, and community spaces where music can support wellbeing, confidence, creativity, and belonging.

We worked with CSO to develop the brand platform. What evolved was a typographic system inspired by the rhythm of music — short notes, long notes, highs and lows — translated into a bold visual language. The colour palette is limitless; rather, the visual language is inspired by the music, the season, and the artists.

Our aim was to elevate the CSO brand from simply a logo in the corner to a main feature. The result is a flexible framework designed for the realities of a community arts organisation, allowing the brand to amplify its offering each season while remaining instantly recognisable.

The brand extends seamlessly across outdoor advertising, posters, social media, print, and digital platforms, creating a bold, cohesive experience that resonates across a multitude of audiences.

CSO has been working with Choir since 2023, creating a new brand identity for Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and helping us share the story of who we are and what we do. Their creative vision has brought fresh energy and life to CSO, while staying true to our roots as an organisation firmly embedded in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

They’re an incredible and authentic team to work with, always taking the time to listen, understand our values and our mahi, and think about how we connect with our community.

We’re so grateful for our partnership with Choir — we couldn’t imagine a better team to have on our side."

Hannah Wilson
General Manager, Commercial & Development

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra logo in off-white on a dark purple background.
Set of 3 different street posters for CSO, all featuring a graphic that is inspired by the music, striking colours and the large CSO letterforms.
Video cover
CSO template grid example, displayed as basic lines and boxes with the CSO letterforms in solid colour.
Light purple lanyard-style ID badge with a name title and CSO logo lettering, clipped to the belt of a person wearing black jeans.
Purple CSO tote bag with a large CSO logo printed on the front, worn over the shoulder by a person dressed in black.

The challenge was finding a version of “timeless” that didn’t feel stuck in the past. What timeless looks like in 2026, not 1996.

Bollard on Oxford Terrace in Ōtautahi Christchurch, positioned along the tram line, displaying a tall-format CSO Masterworks concert poster in vibrant blue and green.
Bright blue CSO concert artwork displayed outside the Christchurch Town Hall at night, with its distinctive architecture and illuminated fountains visible.
Set of four square social media tiles for the CSO Masterworks concert 'The Curtain Raiser', arranged on a black background.
Programme cover and interior spread for a CSO Masterworks concert.
Cellist performing with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at the Che-Fu concert, under blue stage lighting.
Tall digital screen inside the Christchurch Town Hall displaying a blue, rainbow-toned CSO creative, surrounded by a waiting audience.

The result? A brand that moves with the music. Flexible, recognisable, and able to connect with new audiences without losing its core.

Two CSO street posters displayed side-by-side in frames on a building along Colombo Street in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
Large set of landscape billboards for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, one showing the CSO letterforms template and the other listing composers’ names. Both use a light beige and gold palette with an extreme close-up image of a child looking upward.
Video cover

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Circular stamp featuring BBQ CARTEL in the centre, with the tagline ‘Where there's fire, there's flavour’ wrapped around the circle.