Comedy Cellar is a comedy club in Manhattan, located on the lower part (cellar/basement) of a restaurant in the heart of Greenwich Village. It was founded in 1982 by then standup comedian and current television writer/producer Bill Grandest. Grundfest showcased then-unknown comedians such as Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Rita Rudner, Ray Romano, Dave Atell, etc.
Rebranding Comedy Cellar, I don't want to change the whole 'identity' of the comedy club. Instead, since the beginning, I wanted to take into account on their already established character: an exclusive, rustic comedy club located in the 'cellar' of a restaurant. Accordingly, I based the whole system with the intimate, private quality of its location. I generated a customized typeface inspired by the bricks, that generally makes up the whole cellar atmosphere of the comedy club. Then, I deconstructed the word 'COMEDY' in the logo and produce a system of icons, exclusively made out of the letters.
The smiley icons stamped on the featured comedians in the poster series exemplify the exclusiveness of the comedy club. People will immediately recognize where they are performing without looking at it, and therefore leaves a mark in the mind of the passerby's.
