We were commissioned to create a campaign for the London Symphony Orchestra’s (LSO) 2019/20 season – the third under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle. The season’s theme ‘Roots & Origins’ – is an exploration of the origins of classical music.

Fundamental to the campaign is the new identity for LSO – at the heart of the identity is the movement of the conductor, captured by 360° motion data. This data is brought to life by various digital artists to create a unique animation for each new season – the film & subsequent stills form the basis of each new season’s campaign.

To reflect this year’s theme, ‘Roots & Origins’, we took inspiration from how the natural world blooms but with a simple twist, we developed the creative idea; ‘reverse bloom’.

The season’s film is an interpretation of a full bloom scene which traces its way back to the seed – following the precise movement of the conductor (the motion data), with moments echoing the music, ie, vibrating leaves reflect the violins vibrato.

The poster series is derived from five stills taken from the film, starting with the full bloom sequence all the way through to final sequence of the seed – the stills create a series of posters that capture the ‘reverse bloom’ concept.

Typography is integrated into the images, and the motion of the conductor is echoed in the movement that strikes through the letterforms.

The posters are featured at The Barbican, London, (where LSO is the resident orchestra) and tube stations.

The new season only launched in January 2019, however, initial ticket sales have been very positive.