Minnesota
Orchestra

Sidewalk view of a building with large windows displaying partial curved white letters spelling "MINN ORCH MINN" and a person walking past on the sidewalk. Two small trees in grates are planted along the street in front of the building.

A rebrand that breathes new life into a storied arts legacy.

We launched the internationally renowned Minnesota Orchestra into a new, more inclusive chapter of its 120-year history — leveraging the commencement of its 11th Music Director, Thomas Søndergård.

Brand Strategy

  • Brand Framework

Brand Identity

  • Voice
  • Logo Design
  • Brand Guidelines
  • Design Systems

Physical Experience

  • Experience Strategy
  • Concept Design
  • Prototyping
  • Production
Logo design concept with dark blue background featuring three wordmarks reading "MINN ORCH" in white text; the first is curved, the second incorporates a profile of a woman's face with hoop earrings inside a circle, and the third is a minimalist stacked layout of the letters.
Interior of a modern building with tall white columns, large windows, and a wooden wall panel. Several people are seated at round tables covered with black tablecloths, engaged in conversation. Blue stairs on the left side have large white text. Hanging banners from the ceiling feature messages about music and an image of a man holding a conductor's baton. The banners read "MUSIC BRINGS US TOGETHER," "MUSIC BELONGS TO EVERYONE," and "WELCOMING THOMAS SØNDERGÅRD."
Top image: Two feet in white sandals and black pants walking on a speckled tile floor with yellow text "WONDER" partially visible. Bottom image: Person wearing black pants and white sandals carrying a yellow tote bag with white text reading "BE MOVED BY THE MUSIC MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA."
Two people walking on a stairway with blue risers featuring white arrow designs; a woman wearing a white sleeveless top and black pants is walking down, and a man in a white shirt and black pants is walking up.
Triptych posters mounted on a light wood wall. The left poster features a hand holding a violin against a yellow background with letters "M N - O." The center poster has a navy blue background with text about music's inclusivity and impact, ending with "Be Moved by the Music." The right poster shows a profile of a woman with short white hair and glasses against a blue background with letters "M N - O." A blurred person walks past in front of the posters.
Poster with a mustard yellow background featuring a side profile of a woman with brown hair in a bun, wearing a white top. Overlaid text reads "Be moved by the music" with white lines after each phrase. Additional text at the bottom says "Minnesota Orchestra 2023/24 Season An Inspired Welcome."
Outdoor billboard on a building wall showing a man in a blue suit holding a conductor's baton. The text reads, "A New Season Welcoming Thomas Søndergård," and "Minnesota Orchestra" along with the website "minnesotaorchestra.org."
Hand holding a smartphone displaying the Minnesota Orchestra program against a yellow background. The program lists four composers and pieces: Ravel - La Valse, Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Roumain - Dancers, Dreamers and Presidents, and Stravinsky - Suite from The Firebird. There is a small circular image of a young man with curly hair at the bottom of the screen.
Top image: A laptop screen displaying the Minnesota Orchestra website, featuring a promotional banner for an upcoming concert with Parker, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven on July 14, and a calendar of upcoming concerts below. Bottom image: Two minimalist light blue business cards for Minnesota Orchestra on a dark blue surface. One card shows the orchestra name in bold letters, the other shows the name "Thomas Søndergård," his title as Music Director, email, and phone number, with subtle embossed letters spelling "M N O."
A top-down view of scattered printed brand guideline pages on a dark surface. The pages feature brand visuals, typography with font samples, portrait photo styles including photos of diverse musicians, and graphic device examples showing stylistic cropping of images. The design emphasizes clean layouts, modern fonts, and a color palette of white, blue, yellow, brown, and black.

Customer testimonial

Director of Marketing, Minnesota Orchestra

Knock listened to our feedback and found ways to incorporate it when it felt right… When it didn’t, they respectfully challenged us to get at the heart of the ‘why’ behind it. In short, Knock ‘got’ us.

Mission Cloud

Onto the Next Study →

Mission Cloud