Martian Studio designed these business cards for Baku State Circus, one of the most famous circuses in the world.
“Baku State Circus needed to have a fresh logo and design. Therefore, we approached circus staffs for the redesign and brand identity,” said Fidan Ella Alibay, the Graphic Designer at Martian Studio.
“While we were discussing the possibilities of a fresh start of the circus, the representatives of the circus stated that they would like to have a logo and brand identity with the elements of traditions and art of Azerbaijan.”
Patterns & Design Inspirations
There’s a geometric pattern on the back of the business card. The colour combinations are vibrant and super eye-catching!
Speaking of the design inspiration, Fidan said, “We wanted to use ornaments of Azerbaijan, particularly the famous carpets of Azerbaijan. However, we did not know exactly how to connect carpet and its elements with the circus. We saved that idea in the back of our mind and decided to research Russian circuses, where Azerbaijani circus was originally from.”
“During the research, we came across with the term ‘Ковёрный’ which translates as ‘carpet-man’. Back in the days, circus needed to fill a gap between breaks of the show so that the audience would not feel bored and misguided. During that time, circus crews would change the carpets. Thus, the term ‘Ковёрный’ came up.”
“Moreover, it was the name given to the clowns as their main task was to entertain the audience between breaks. Therefore, we decided to use shapes and patterns of clowns’ costumes and adjoined them with the ornaments of carpets.”
“Thus, our patterns are combination of clowns’ costumes and carpet elements. All together, they symbolize flexibility, movements and fun side of the circus.”
Typography & Colour Palette
The typeface used in the visual identity is Futura. According to Fidan, “We knew that we wanted to use a geometric font for the branding. After many trials, we decided to stick with Futura. It’s a perfect combination of geometric and sleek typeface.”
As for the colours, “While selecting the colours, we were inspired by the fresco inside the circus. We really loved the vibrant colours and a little bit of its vintage vibe, so we modified and used them in the identity.”
Martian Studio recommended Stamperia Print for the card-printing, but it’s up to their client to choose the preferred printer.
When asked about the possible printing outcome, Fidan replied, “These business cards would be offset-printed on a thick, smooth paper with velvety texture.”
Designed by Martian Studio
For Baku State Circus
