Motion Design for Canada’s premier orchestral ensemble

Overview

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is Canada’s premier orchestral ensemble. Founded in 1906, the 93-member professional orchestra is led by acclaimed Music Director Gustavo Gimeno. Recently, the TSO approached Underline Studio to reimagine its brand to better align with its evolving mission: to help Torontonians connect with the powerful, emotional experience of orchestral music.

Motion Design

The motion system expresses movement and connectivity through an animated “S” in “symphony,” which dynamically responds to the music being played. Supporting the logo is a graphic system of abstract musical forms, developed as a symbolic expression of the brand’s essence—music as emotion, storytelling, and connection.

To make these elements easy to use, we built custom After Effects plugins along with web tools in order for work can be shipped off quickly. We also created After Effects templates to keep easing and timing consistent.