A Brighter Voucher
“How a bold new creative direction increased Theatre Tokens’ retail visibility, broadened audience reach, and delivered sustained sales growth across national supermarkets.”
The Problem
Theatre Tokens, operated by the Society of London Theatre, is the UK’s national theatre gift voucher scheme, redeemable at over 270 venues nationwide.
As part of the Theatre Tokens product roadmap, I led an initiative to refresh the physical product and align it with a broader rollout into supermarket gift card malls, beginning with Sainsbury’s.
The challenge was clear:
The existing design was dark, traditional, and visually recessive.
It lacked emotional connection, failing to capture the joy of gifting live theatre.
It did not adapt to key gifting occasions such as Valentine’s Day or Father’s Day.
The design felt dated and not fully inclusive.
The long-standing ‘Gift of Theatre’ tagline had been lost from the voucher itself, despite its emotional strength.
We needed to create a fresh, modern, and emotionally resonant product that could stand out at retail and reflect the excitement of the theatre experience.
The Solution
Working with the Marketing team, I developed a new creative framework rooted in emotion, colour, and flexibility. The goal was to design a suite of vouchers that spoke to different audiences and occasions, while maintaining a cohesive brand identity.
Each creative concept paired colour psychology with gifting moments to create a strong emotional response:
The Gift of Theatre – The core, all-occasion design in vibrant orange. Linked to OfficialLondonTheatre.com for brand consistency and designed to feel warm and inclusive.
The Love of Theatre – A romantic pink option for Valentine’s gifting and emotional connection.
The Joy of Theatre – A bold blue design to appeal to masculine and neutral gifting occasions such as Father’s Day.
The Magic of Theatre – A rich purple variant to celebrate shows like Wicked and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, ideal for younger and less traditional audiences.
By reintroducing ‘The Gift of Theatre’ directly into the product design and using a flexible colour palette, the new creative system improved emotional engagement, inclusivity, and adaptability across marketing campaigns.
The Outcome
The launch of the new Theatre Tokens range across national retailers delivered strong commercial and brand results:
Increased sales across all participating supermarkets, led by improved visibility on crowded gift card stands.
Wider audience reach, appealing to more diverse demographics and gifting occasions.
Higher brand engagement, with customers responding positively to the new emotional tone and modern look.
Enhanced product consistency, supporting a scalable creative system for future campaigns.
This project proved how strategic design and thoughtful product thinking can drive measurable outcomes. By aligning creative execution with brand and business goals, the refreshed Theatre Tokens product not only elevated the in-store experience but also reinforced theatre as an accessible and inspiring gift choice across the UK.
