101 E. Green Street, Suite 14, Pasadena, CA 91105 (323) 481-1505
Playhouse Village
A new name and a rebrand for Pasadena's oldest neighborhood.
Renaming the neighborhood from District to Village opened up an entirely new spirit to cultivate community and make room for everyone to see themselves as part of the rebranded Playhouse Village.
Nearly a century ago, a group of proud citizens came together to fund the audacious idea of building a world-class theater in an orange grove. Since 1925, Pasadena Playhouse has stood as a powerful symbol of community. As the neighborhood modernized, more cultural institutions sprung up around El Molino Avenue. The last few decades have seen the area diversify, grow younger, and play host to new enterprises. It was time to remind everyone that no matter who you are, you are part of this community. Part of the Playhouse Village.
The announcement of the new name and brand launch unlocked the Playhouse Village Association’s ambitious programs — focusing on the built environment, economic development, organizational resources, parking, and promotions / marketing — resulting in an increasingly vital district.
Community aspirations meet business needs. The new mark plays out dynamically to meet the business mandates as well as the aspirations for the neighborhood — promoting the economic vitality of Playhouse Village as the center of culture, commerce and community in the heart of Pasadena.
“DISTINC_ was incredibly thoughtful in approaching our longstanding conundrum with our brand, which was the identity and confusion resulting from our namesake institution, the Playhouse. Jean-Marc-Marc did a lot of soul-searching with our stakeholders, staff and Board to assess what we ultimately wanted to be as a place, and created a new brand identity to support it. The evolution of our name and brand to Playhouse Village (from District) have given us more prominent visible, political and community recognition. We successfully leveraged it to have the City name a newly-built park for Playhouse Village, cementing a new emphasis on building community which has been our most valuable endeavour to build our brand in our history. We plan for it to continue to live on for many years.”
— Brian Wallace, President/CEO at Playhouse Village Association
