Moulin Rouge New Logo

BRAND | THE MOULIN ROUGE LAUNCHES ITS NEW IDENTITY
A LOGO FOR A LEGEND

This logo marking the 120th anniversary of the cabaret confirms the resolutely modern and innovative spirit of the Moulin Rouge whilst paying homage to the legend and the magic associated with this mythical venue for more than a century.

INTERVIEW :

WHO ARE YOU?
Stéphane Gautier : Creative Director
François Gatalt : Art Director
Pauline Nicolas : Art Director

WHAT BRIEF DID THE MOULIN ROUGE GIVE YOU BEFORE YOU BEGAN THE PROJECT?
SG: The brief was to rethink the identity of the Moulin Rouge as a global brand which encompassed all the current activities of the cabaret (The show, brand licence, franchises…).

WAS REDESIGNING THE MOULIN ROUGE A CHALLENGE?
SG: To make it above all representative, simple and dynamic with a touch of “enchantment”.

WAS REDESIGNING THE MOULIN ROUGE A CHALLENGE?
SG: It was Pauline who worked on the illustration… She gave us a choice of 50 different windmill designs! In green… it was quite clever!
PN: The aim was really to revamp the windmill, to make it more feminine and glamorous! That’s why we thought of producing it in different shades of red, large and vibrant.

WAS IT A DIFFICULT BRAND TO WORK ON?
SG: The difficulty lay in designing a logo worthy of an institution so well known worldwide.
PN: It’s true that it is brand with a rich history. Making it contemporary while retaining its legendary status was the main problem.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO DESIGN THIS NEW IDENTITY?
FG: This project lasted 6 months, from the first ideas sessions to the presentation of a complete and operational corporate identity guideline. Although the first ideas generally come quickly, you have to test them, visualise them and criticise them in order to ensure that the core idea becomes an identity that will stand the test of time.

HOW DID THREE OF YOU WORK TOGETHER ON THE SAME LOGO?
FG: Everyone naturally did their part. We know each other inside out. After several - sometimes quite animated- discussions where we exchanged our individual ideas on the coming project, Stéphane coordinated the overall design and Pauline created and outlined the illustrations and the iconography which would be used to design the pictogram for the new identity. My job was to tackle the typographical work and the final presentation.

HOW DID THE COLLABORATION WITH THE TEAMS AT MOULIN ROUGE WORK?
There were four agencies competing for the project. The senior management and communications department had to choose from among 45 projects…
Once chosen, we worked with the communications director, Jean-Luc Pehau Ricau, and the brand manager, Véronique Allaire-Spitzer, to finalise the graphic charters for use and application of the new identity.

A LOGO? WAS THAT ALL?
FG: No, not at all! The project did not stop there!
In fact, that was where it began. This new logo was for us the starting point of a new era in the Moulin Rouge’s global communication and the presentation of its revues. At this point, we also worked on the foundations of a new artistic approach for Moulin Rouge visuals, campaigns and publicity material which is to be developed very shortly.

WHAT OTHER PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON?
SG: We also have a design agency, and are working on a jellyfish concept for a bar in the boulevard Saint Germain and a project for a restaurant in the Place des Vosges…but we’ll talk about that again later…

WHAT ARE YOUR SOURCES OF INSPIRATION?
SG: The avant-gardist Schrager, Le Corbusier’s boldness,
and Starck’s democratic design approach.
PN: The great couturiers just as much as designers

TEAM :

Stephane Gautier - Creative Director

Stéphane Gautier is not John Brightman’s secret love child.
He is, however, his rightful heir. In no time at all, John B. saw in him his ideal successor: creative, demanding, audacious.
So it was only natural that Stéphane accompany him on his various travels around the world in 2008, virgin voyages during which John continually urged him to soak up every culture and absorb its influences.
It was at the end of these journeys that they founded, together, the John Brightman Paris agency. Stéphane cares deeply for the richness and beauty of the world and strives
to convey it through his work. He is, at the same time, committed to addressing social and environmental issues. He intends, through art and activism, to carry on the legacy handed down to him by Sir John Brightman over the last few years: a respect for the world, an openness to it, that are genuine and uncompromising.

François Gatault - Art Director

François Gatault is a self-taught Jack-of-all-trades, working in design, music, photography, and video.
That is precisely what captivated John Brightman, who met him during a visit to Paris in August of 2003. Although John is the first to say to any who’ll listen that “Everyone deserves a piece of the Gatault!”, it was not until 2009 that the two men began to collaborate. François made the most of this period to refine his technique and his precise, strict sensibility at the Lemonsqueezer agency, which was behind numerous successful international campaigns (Martini Bacardi, Gucci Group, Cadbury-Schweppes, among others). A true trendspotter, today he contributes his talents in design and architectural concepts to the agency.

Pauline Nicolas - Art Director

Pauline Nicolas was only 26 when her path crossed that of John Brightman at an artist’s studio in New York. The woman he affectionately calls “Ava,” a nod to the glamorous
Hollywood icons of the late 50s, soon became his right hand – in a velvet glove.
The agency’s Art Director, in all her meticulous perfection, is the epitome of French charm, which she channels into her work. Among the projects she has worked on are
advertising campaigns for choice brands such as Guerlain Perfumes and the famous cabaret, Le Moulin Rouge…

More infos at www.john-brightman.com

Download PressKit Moulin Rouge New Identity
http://john-brightman.com/dl/MOULINROUGE_NEWIDENTITY_PRESSKIT.zip

Download John Brightman Communication Book
http://www.john-brightman.com/dl/johnbrightman_communicationbook.zip

Download John Brightman Architecture+Design Book
http://www.john-brightman.com/dl/johnbrightman_archidesignbook.zip

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