Brand Transformation in action: Future-proofing comedy’s most legendary brand

The Second City is more than an institution—it’s a cultural powerhouse that has shaped modern comedy since 1959. With alumni like Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and Aidy Bryant, its legacy is unmatched. But after decades of growth—expanding into film, corporate training, and nationwide improv programs—the brand’s structure had become fractured, inconsistent, and unclear.

This wasn’t just a branding issue—it was an opportunity for Brand Transformation. The Second City needed a clear brand architecture that aligned its many sub-brands, digital channels, and creative ventures while staying true to its rebellious, comedic spirit.

Partnering with Someoddpilot, we helped The Second City tighten its master brand positioning, developing a structured identity system that allowed each sub-brand to have its own voice while maintaining a unified Second City presence. Through deep collaboration, we created:

• A modular logo and design system that adapts across platforms and sub-brands.
• A “heat rating” framework to guide internal teams in defining the level of comedic subversion for different audiences and channels (from promoting youth improv classes to late night weekend shows)
• A functional playbook for content, partnerships, and creative decision-making—ensuring consistency but allowing for flexibility.

The result? A stronger, clearer Second City that’s built for the future. With this refined brand system, their marketing team now has the tools to expand, evolve, and amplify their voice across digital, social, OOH, and theaters in Chicago, Toronto, and Los Angeles.

This was Brand Transformation in action—taking an iconic institution and making it more focused, more scalable, and more ready to define the next era of comedy.