Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival has unveiled crisp new branding that highlights both its iconic tent setting and the simple word "bard".

The new logo has been in the works for the past year and follows months of market research and execution by Vancouver-based graphic-design company Carter Hales Design Lab.

The popular summer theatre fest's former logo was busier, with scrolling fonts that recalled Elizabethan times and a more detailed striped tent. The event is preparing to enter its 29th season.

In a post today on the announcement, Bard on the Beach artistic director Christopher Gaze explained the freshening up of the fest's image this way: “We started by appreciating that we are successful, and that our “look” has been recognized and admired for years by our many fans and followers. But then we asked ourselves a challenge question: is that “look” sparking curiosity and excitement beyond our immediate circle, to those who are not really aware of what we do in Vanier Park every summer and beyond? Does it fully convey what Bard is today – a modern, vibrant, professional theatre presenter and educator?”

In its season posters and brochures, the company has placed the iconic tent image over pre-season photos of the shows.

A 1960s-set As You Like It and a classic Macbeth will duel it out on the mainstage of Bard on the Beach next season. On the smaller Howard Family Stage, Bard will present a rarely presented Shakespearean drama, Timon of Athens, with a contemporary reimagining of the Greek play Lysistrata.

The festival runs from June 6 to September 22 in Vanier Park.