say it ain’t so
SCOPE OF WORK
THEATER BRANDING DESIGN & STRATEGY | SOCIAL MEDIA COLLATERAL
“Say It Ain’t So” was a theater production that debuted on July 21, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA. It weaves a tale of Sandra, an affluent Black woman, on the lam with her Deaf sister, Renny. Sandra encounters her ancestors; Past, Present and Future, who bring into question: Can Black women ever truly be free? It shares the untold stories that are buried under generational trauma, to highlight disabled people in a way that doesn’t use their disability to drive the story, and to showcase powerful female characters that are not showcasing their trauma for the world’s consumption.
The visual identity incorporates both written English and SignWriting, a visual writing system established to represent the handshapes, movements, and facial expressions of American Sign Language (ASL). Using both represents the duality between the sisters and how they communicate. The primary logo reads “Say Sister” with a tense dynamic represented, feeding off the sisters’ relationship.
A story about Black women and their experiences is interwoven in the visual identity and back story of the brand. Black American Sign Language (BASL) currently does not have its own SignWriting translations and is culturally different than ASL. It uses more hand gestures, facial expressions, and overall is more “vocal” than ASL.
Instead of the combination of hand symbols and dynamics in the primary logo, the spelling of the word “sis” is represented as their individual letters. Having the logo read “Say Sis”.
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The visual identity is complemented with assets that build brand recognition across platforms and communication channels. Social media was the primary form of outreach for this production to share details on the actors, and production team, showcase behind-the-scenes, and invite the audience into the world of Sandra and Renny.
Brand Personality
Healing
Feminine
Ancestral
Empowering
Visual Style
Grounded
Soulful
Bold
Accessible