Abnormal Nights Comedy
Abnormal Nights is a live stand-up comedy show at the Adams Avenue Theater in San Diego’s Normal Heights neighborhood. After nearly two years, they needed a distinct visual identity to stand out in the local comedy scene and address specific challenges.
Because the lineup is often fluid, featuring mostly local comics and surprise drop-ins from bigger names that often drop in/out last second, they rarely promote specific acts. Instead, they needed a flexible system that could market the show without relying on headliners.
The visual system also had to strike a balance: simple enough for a small team with no designer to create assets, yet versatile enough to allow for varied and engaging layouts.
The original logo paid homage to the iconic Normal Heights sign just down the block from the theater. While it was a nice tribute to the neighborhood, the sign is widely used on local merchandise making it feel generic rather than distinct or ownable.
The team structures the show in their own specific way with intermissions to roast the audience or go over the best Venmo captions from donations from last month’s show. A logo that nods to this unconventional approach to a comedy show was vital.
The new logo uses Arpona with slight customizations to the counters of the A and O. Where you’d expect to find a triangular counter in the A and circle in the O, you instead find a circle and a square. Using this visual metaphor for not adhering to the norm, these symbols carry on throughout the identity.
