Cultural product design in contexts of access and inclusion
Orquestra Sinfônica de Indaiatuba (OSI)
This project addressed a practical problem: the distance between classical music and a large part of the city.
OSI maintained a consistent artistic output, but access was concentrated among audiences already familiar with this repertoire. Symbolic barriers, implicit language and cultural codes limited the presence of new audiences.
The decision was to treat culture as a continuous product, with a real audience, clear constraints and responsibility for how the orchestra presents itself and integrates into everyday urban life.
The project
The Orquestra Sinfônica de Indaiatuba operates throughout the year with seasons, concerts and educational initiatives.
The design work supported this operation on an ongoing basis, contributing to the creation and evolution of materials and communication formats aimed at audiences with very different levels of familiarity with classical music.
The focus was not on isolated visual identity, but on organising consistent touchpoints between the orchestra, the city and the public over time.
The challenge
The problem was not promotion.
The distance was cultural. For many people, classical music did not feel accessible or addressed to them. Formal language, implicit codes and a lack of mediation reinforced a sense of non-belonging.
Without intervention, the experience remained restricted to those who already had prior exposure. The risk was maintaining a relevant artistic output that remained disconnected from the broader urban context.
Approach decision
The first decision was to move away from a single, uniform communication approach.
The orchestra engaged with distinct audiences: regular attendees, young people, individuals with no prior contact with classical music, and audiences reached through educational initiatives. Treating all of them in the same way reinforced exclusion.
Communication began to assume that the audience had no obligation to understand prior codes. Visual language was opened up, narratives became more direct, and the orchestra’s presence extended beyond the traditional concert environment into everyday urban spaces.
The music was not simplified. The barrier to entry was reduced.
Design as cultural infrastructure
Design was treated as continuous work, not as a one-off deliverable.
Each concert came to have its own narrative, connected to a consistent identity and to touchpoints before, during and after the event. Communication, the event itself and the relationship with the audience began to function as parts of a single system.
Nothing was conceived in isolation. Each piece needed to reinforce coherence and recognition across seasons.
Case: OSI 10 years
The 10th anniversary concert required a delicate decision.
It was necessary to celebrate the orchestra’s trajectory without creating communication aimed only at those who already followed it. The risk was producing a self-referential event.
The strategy was to position the concert as a cultural event for the city. Visual language and narrative sought to reduce distance, make the repertoire legible to new audiences and preserve artistic integrity.
Observed outcomes
The relationship between the orchestra and the city changed in a perceptible way.
There was an expansion of the audience, increased attendance at concerts and a strengthening of OSI’s presence within the urban context. In specific initiatives, tickets sold out quickly, indicating engagement from audiences beyond the traditional core.
More relevant than isolated figures was the continuity of the bond established between the institution and the city.
Journey with OSI
The partnership with OSI spanned approximately 10 years.
During this period, design ensured consistency of language and identity without preventing adaptation to cultural and social changes. The work avoided constant reinvention and prioritised coherence accumulated over time.
Scaling, in this context, meant sustaining recognition and relationships, not merely increasing visibility.
Design role
Design assumed direct responsibility for how the orchestra related to the city.
The work organised the cultural experience to make it accessible without distorting the artistic content. The music was mediated through clear choices of language, narrative and urban presence.
When it worked, design did not draw attention to itself. It simply enabled more people to engage.
Closing
This project shows that product design also operates beyond software.
By treating culture as a continuous product, decisions about language, access and presence moved from intuition to structure. The result was a more consistent relationship between art, the city and the public over time.
