ContextIn 2002 the architecture office Thomas Wagner commenced the renovation of the Kleines Haus–a theatrevenue of the Staatsschauspiel Dresden– requiring the provision of a new signage system, which would take account of the requirements of the audience in the public area and the actors and staff in the internal area.
Design concept
The form of the lettering is influenced by the craft of the actor and his interaction with text. The individual items of information are broken down with the aid of punctuation marks, as if they were prompts. This intention is underscored with the utilisation of the two fonts used by the theatre. A decision was made to avoid pictograms, with arrows replaced by verbal directions.
materiality
In the audience area signposts and location confirmations take the form of punched-out fabric letters in grey and red, with the material lending them an extremely three-dimensional appearance. The signs for staff and actors in the internal area are applied directly to the walls with grey paint.