Tuesday, September 9, 2014

LOGOS: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Tomorrow marks the first preview of the New York incarnation of the London smash hit play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.  So today seems the logical time to look at the show's logo.  I suppose I should start by admitting two things: I know almost nothing about this play, and I am stoked to be seeing it. (And none of this takes into account fans of the internationally acclaimed novel by Mark Haddon.)

Since I don't know a whole lot about the play - or the novel upon which it is based, for that matter - why am I so excited to see this?  Well, the title says it all.  I am curious.  And isn't there something intriguing about the word "incident"?  Something ominous, polite, but foreboding.  Then I get to "dog," and I'm thinking, "wait.  What?  Dog?"  More intrigue.  And what is more mysterious than "night-time?"  (Side note: I'm also an absolute Anglophile, and, go figure, the whole thing is a British enterprise: author, playwright, production company.  Even the title is a quote from Sherlock Holmes!)


Interestingly, the logo plays directly into what interests me.  It is mostly title.  And I think it works.  First, the background is a brighter blue color, which should draw the eye to it, no small achievement considering the visual cacophony that is the theatre district.  Once the eye is drawn, you see that the most emphasized words are also the most interesting.  "Curious Incident" are the two biggest words and also stand out with a yellow-orange color, glowing like fire maybe, or is it something else?  The next biggest words, all in white, are "dog" and "night-time."  It adds to the intrigue - "am I reading that right?" passers-by should be thinking.  And it makes you re-read the whole thing and then you notice all the words, and maybe the star-filled sky, too.  Bingo! You have stopped long enough to think about what you are seeing, a very good thing for a show logo. The font is also a good choice - sleek and modern means no stodgy drama here.  And you gotta love the pointy "n"s.  Are they fangs? Knives? Something curious, for sure.


Then there's the image - a black and white photo (makes it stand out and has a sort of documentation-like feel) of a young man staring up at the sky, oblivious to the fact that he's standing on an outline of a dog - an outline like at murder scene.  Notice, too, that the glow from above shines down in a yellow pool like a blood stain on that outline.  Talk about an incident! It makes my mind - and hopefully ticket buyers' minds, too - ask a ton of questions.  In short, it makes me curious about Curious.

Will it get people in the seats?  I hope so.  The logo alone makes me glad I'm seeing the show!

Grade: A+

Jeff
6.006

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...