Sotheby’s 275 Anniversary Branding

Sotheby’s 275 Anniversary Branding
2019

11 March 2019 marked 275 years of art market 'firsts' and connecting collectors with the world's greatest treasures. On that date in 1744, Sotheby’s held its first sale in London at Exeter Exchange on The Strand. The auction of ‘several hundred scarce and valuable books in all branches of Polite Literature’ fetched a grand total of £826. Today, Sotheby's has 80 offices in 40 countries and was the oldest company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (almost 50 years older than the Exchange itself) - where they were honored to ring the opening bell. "Sotheby's has thrived for 275 years precisely because it has dared to reinvent itself again and again, and in so doing has continually redefined the business of trading art on a global basis," said Tad Smith, Sotheby's CEO. In October 2019 Sotheby’s, after more than three decades as a publicly-traded company went private. Now owned by French–Israeli telecom baron Patrick Drahi.

As part of the 275th-anniversary branding, Sandra worked closely with Garry Waller from Momentist, where he created a compelling short animated video loop that was displayed at the Exchange for the opening bell. The sequence was also adapted to play on the lobby screens in Sotheby's newly designed gallery space in New York City. Garry designed and beautifully crafted motion graphics in an unexpected way that served to amplify the story of Sotheby’s evolution. Playing off of the numeric logo, the concept involved having backgrounds briefly come to life with different content relating to each theme while keeping the numbers ever-present throughout the animation. The finished piece is a short, engaging celebration of Sotheby's 275th birthday that can be looped in perpetuity.

Client: Sotheby’s; Creative Director: Sandra Burch; Video Animation & Graphic Director: Momentist Garry Waller; Designers: Christina Freyss; James Kloiber; Chief Marketing & Digital Officer: David Goodman