Pentagram's Marina Willer celebrates music as an art form in new work for De Bijloke

One of Europe's most venerable music venues, the Muziekcentrum De Bijloke in Ghent, Belgium, has recently undergone a comprehensive rebranding led by Marina Willer and her team at Pentagram London. Established in its current role as a concert hall since 2000, this historic site dates back to the early 13th century when it functioned as a medieval hospital managed by Cistercian nuns. Today, it stands as a cultural landmark hosting a diverse array of classical and contemporary music performances.

As De Bijloke prepares for its 2026/27 season, the venue sought a refreshed identity that would resonate with both its existing audience and prospective visitors. The goal was to craft a digital-first brand system that conveys the venue’s vibrant and dynamic nature while acknowledging its rich history and architectural character. Pentagram's approach was to create a “living identity” that mirrors the venue’s continual transformation through its varied programming.

A key source of inspiration for this new identity comes from American avant-garde composer John Cage, whose experimental techniques influenced the visual and conceptual framework devised by Willer’s team. The design draws on Cage’s use of the oscilloscope—a device that visually interprets sound waves—translating audio signals into fluid, organic shapes that animate the brand’s graphics. These swirling motifs evoke musical notation elements such as the treble clef, linking the visual language directly to sound and improvisation.

The brand refresh extends beyond visuals to encompass the venue’s verbal tone, which balances evocative and intuitive expression with clarity where necessary. This duality enables De Bijloke to present itself as both a welcoming host and a discerning curator of international music culture. Complementing the expressive logo is a modern and refined typography choice, with Forma DJR typefaces lending both sophistication and equilibrium to the overall identity.

Color selection was thoughtfully derived from the venue’s diverse interior spaces, capturing hues from architectural features like arched ceilings, aged stone walls, grand stages, and draped curtains. The resulting palette comprises muted yet vibrant shades of pink, teal, purple, and blue, reflecting the venue’s elegant atmosphere while supporting a flexible design system.

Pentagram also developed distinct branding elements tailored for De Bijloke’s various music programs. The jazz series features dynamic patterns inspired by the genre’s improvisational spirit, while the new music program’s visuals emphasize innovation and pushing creative boundaries. The family-oriented series adopts a more playful aesthetic. Each program benefits from bespoke patterns and a generative tool enabling the venue to continually reinterpret its visual identity, ensuring adaptability across digital and physical applications.

This strategic overhaul allows De Bijloke to maintain ownership of an identity that is as fluid and varied as its concert lineup. The brand system is designed for scalability and motion, ready to evolve in step with the venue’s future artistic directions. By intertwining De Bijloke’s historical depth with contemporary design principles and sound-inspired graphics, the refresh affirms the venue’s status as a dynamic nexus of musical artistry.

Ultimately, the rebranding by Marina Willer and Pentagram presents De Bijloke not merely as a physical space but as an evolving experience—alive in every performance, moment, and audience encounter. This transformation marks a significant step in positioning the venue for continued relevance and engagement within the international music community, honoring its past while embracing the possibilities of the present and future.