Constituents of downtown Boise as well as art and opera lovers alike will soon take notice as Opera Idaho unveils a fresh and revitalized brand identity. Ushering in the 2008-2009 Season is Mark Junkert, who officially became the Company’s new Executive Director on May 22, 2008.

The elements of Opera Idaho’s new identity include a new logo, a redesign of the Company’s Web site, and a continued relationship with Boise-based illustrator Bill Carman; all of which were facilitated by Boise–based design studio, Creative Soapbox. Creative Soapbox’s Founder and Pricinpal, Justin Kuntz, affirms that the new identity offers the familiarity of a corporate mark, while retaining artistic flair. He further states, “the strength yet simplicity of the mark combines both masculine and feminine characteristics, which yield a brand that conveys integrity and emotion”.

The Opera Idaho identity is meant to be meaningful and beautiful to any eye and to communicate to a diverse audience. In addition to speaking to multiple audiences, the identity and logo clearly position Opera Idaho as a world–class organization—ready and worthy of substantial investment.

The logomark is meant to be an interpretive mark that provokes a multiplicity of meanings. It was derived from several different elements including the letterforms “O” and “I” and was additionally influenced by several musical symbols including the fermata. The variation of a single color represents the complexity and range of a voice, and effectively conveys royalty and passion.

Look for more information regarding the Opera Idaho brand redesign Case Study soon at the Creative Soapbox website.

About Creative Soapbox

Creative Soapbox is a strategic design agency focused on creating sustainable brands for responsible companies. We create lasting client-partnerships that embrace interconnected digital media to deliver compelling brand experiences. To learn more about Creative Soapbox, visit www.creativesoapbox.com.

Opera Idaho has appointed Mark Junkert to the position of Executive Director, upon the retirement of Julie Kilgrow, Executive and Artistic Director. Mark will begin working in transition with Julie on May 19, and will officially assume his position when Julie retires May 22. Opera Idaho expects to hire a part-time Artistic Director at some time in the near future.

Mark comes to Idaho from New York City and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. In St. Paul he was Managing Director of Skylark Opera. Concurrently, he served as Executive Director of the Martina Arroyo Foundation, a New York-based organization dedicated to training young opera singers. Mark has also held positions as Executive Director of The Collegiate Chorale in New York, Director of Marketing for Augsburg Fortress, Publishers in Minneapolis, and Executive Director of the National Lutheran Choir in Minneapolis. A native of Minnesota, Mark studied voice and opera in the Graduate School of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying with William Warfield. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Denver.