The Naughty Menagerie
A DMV Burlesque Duo
Services
Brand Strategy
Branding
Print Design
Collateral
Art Direction
Web Design
Brief
Founders Sedusa and Rosie Beret began a Burlesque troupe during the pandemic. After being contacted by a Baltimore venue, they wanted to create a brand identity to elevate their professionalism and work with venues in D.C. and Baltimore. What they saw in their burlesque world were excited audiences eager to celebrate gender expression, sexuality, parody, and diversity, but many venues still hire one type of person for gigs: thin white femmes in sparkly outfits. Sedusa and Rosie believe there’s a whole world these venues miss out on. That’s why they created the Naughty Menagerie.
Solution
With a fresh twist, we brought the original idea of inclusiveness back to Burlesque. Drawing on 160 years of Burlesque history, we worked with photographer Summer Kalani to create motifs that pay homage to some of Burlesque's origins, involving crude humor, satirical ballads, and flashy leg shows. Since Naughty shows are in queer-friendly bars, restaurants, and creative spaces, we used various colors and shapes in their brand to allude to the kitschy quality of these spaces and the diverse cast members they hire.
When working on brand imagery with Summer Kalani, we wanted to reflect the variety and diversity of performers and routines.
BRAND IMAGERY EMBODIES THE UNIQUENESS THAT REPRESENTS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FEEL A PART OF THE NAUGHTY MENAGERIE.
Guiding the brand are seven distinct archetypes with their own color frame and photo scenes.
These archetypes are named after familiar tropes found in Naughty Burlesque shows: Jester, Kitten, Plaything, Siren, Coquette, Enchanter, and Murderess.
