Pulchri Studio — An artists’ society as vital today as it was in 1847
Founded in The Hague in 1847, Pulchri Studio is The Netherlands’ oldest society for artists. Responding to growing discontent over insufficient training and development opportunities, a group of young intellectual artists established the society as an outlet to exhibit their work and exchange ideas. Having designed Pulchri Studio’s visual identity, Studio Dumbar/DEPT® continued to produce poster campaigns, flyers and brochures for many years.
Strategy
Our approach was driven by the society’s forward-thinking spirit; declaring with confidence that Pulchri Studio is as vital today as it was 150 years ago. The strategic objective – and challenge – was for the design to be appreciated by the most critical of all audiences: the artists who are members of Pulchri.
Design
Each year, one designer was given full creative responsibility of the project, providing a unique opportunity to explore their talent and impress their personal ‘signature’ on Pulchri’s promotional design. Aesthetically, the look and feel changed from one year to the next, but a consistent thread prevailed: progressive in spirit, combining bright colours, sans serif type, abstract imagery and in some cases, new and innovative image-making techniques.
Results
Acclaimed across the worlds of art and design, the posters and promotional campaigns for Pulchri Studio received numerous design awards.
