Typographic and captivating:four-phase campaign for the Konzerthaus Berlin

‘Klassisch anders’ (Classically Different): That’s the new motto at the Konzerthaus Berlin – now with their new chief conductor Joana Mallwitz and a rebranding campaign by The Goodwins, promising a young, modern, and exciting fresh start.

Joana Mallwitz is the new star in Berlin. 37 years young and a high-flyer since she decided to become a conductor at the age of 13. She became an early student and took up her first position as a conductor at the theatre in Heidelberg at the age of 19.

How happy people in Berlin are that they landed this coup and were able to win her as chief conductor for the Konzerthaus is shown by the posters that have been showing her face all over Berlin for months.

They are part of a four-phase campaign by the Berlin agency The Goodwins, which is comprehensively repositioning the Konzerthaus Berlin with its new brand identity.

Completely tailored to Joanna Mallwitz – as the first woman to be chief conductor there and also a young mother, a fan of push-ups, of fantasy books such as R.F.'s Babel - and celebrated for her drive and passion.

And these also run the campaign and corporate design.

‘Klassisch anders’ (Classically different) now describes the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt with its dynamic logo.

Alongside ‘Ballungsraum der Euphorie’ (Centre of euphoria) in strong and bright red typography including a photograph of an audience jumping up as if at a pop concert, ‘Kollektiver Kontrollverlust’ (Collective loss of control) or ‘Und du denkst, du hast schon alles gefühlt’ (And you think you've already felt everything) in bright yellow.

Joanna Mallwitz herself, on the other hand, can be seen in a wide variety of poses, laughing boisterously, self-confidently and swinging her baton enthusiastically and expressively. It is hard to believe that she says about herself that she is introverted.

The portraits are accompanied by slogans such as ‘Im Takt gegen den Strom’ (To the beat against the flow) or ‘Gänsehaut kennt keine Grenzen’ (Goosebumps know no bounds).

Above all, however, the campaign is clearly intended to ‘convey openness for all, show that music can overcome social boundaries and make the Konzerthaus a place of great emotions,’ says Maurice Pfleiderer from The Goodwins. ‘The new brand language, which heralds the beginning of a new era for the Konzerthaus, is therefore above all powerful, loud and multi-faceted - just like Berlin itself.’

Everything is becoming more extreme, more aggressive, more explosive, states a case film with images of forest fires, riots and war. ‘And what does the Konzerthaus Berlin do? It is open to everyone and relies on the power of opposites, the unique ‘we’ culture.’

And this is also visible in the typography, in which different fonts, styles and weights come together, serif on sans serif, italic on standard, normal on bold.

Joana Mallwitz's inaugural concert in September was euphorically celebrated, and success seems guaranteed. As does the campaign.