Theatre Development Fund (TDF)’s Broadway Breakfast is a fundraiser gathering the movers and shakers of Broadway. It’s also an occasion to honor notable individuals and groups for their outstanding contributions to the performing arts.

The event took place on October 2025 in the glamorous Rainbow Room atop 30 Rockefeller Center, renowed for stunning views of Manhattan and splendid crystal decor.

TDF took a field trip to the Rainbow Room in May, five months ahead, for ample time to plan this ambitious event.

TDF wanted to evoke a bright and elegant feeling, to maximize the room’s view and lean into the early morning schedule of the event. 30 Rock’s art deco architecture and the playful scattering of light from the room’s crystals would inspire the branding.

TDF leadership contributed to brand development by sharing a moodboard of bright metallics, etheral gradients, and intense colors.

Logo Development

Using Adobe Illustrator, I created shapes out of this chair backing. Then, I played around with bright colors and patterns in early drafts.

Art Deco Motif

By playing around with shapes, I came up with an art deco-like motif that could function as an ornament or basis for a logo.

Typography and Color

I explored several art deco typography options and metallic colors to pair with the art deco pattern.

Final Event Logo

I produced the final event logo by duplicating the ornament over a circle, then breaking them apart to evoke scattering light and shards. Then, I filled a few pieces with soft color gradients. This served as key art for the marketing and venue branding.

Honorees

The 2025 honorees were Shubert Organization President and co-CEO Robert Wankel, actress and speaker Ali Stroker, and nonprofit Samaritan Daytop Village. Their photos were embedded in a shard and sprinkled with the motif—in the case of the nonprofit, their logo was featured as is. These graphics were used in all Breakfast communications featuring them.

Website

The website was built over Givesmart. The platform had restrictions regarding image size, font, and other settings. TDF had to design it with workarounds.

Email Invites

These were developed in Wordfly and sent to TDF’s mailing list in the months leading up to the event.

Frosted Vinyl Test

TDF worked with print vendor Step Visual to develop the environmental signage and room branding. Below are test swatches they provided of branded frosted vinyl with varying levels of opacity to achieve the desired look on the Rainbow Room’s glass and mirror surfaces.

Custom Playbill

Playbill co-sponsored the Breakfast, allowing TDF access to their trademark yellow masthead, fonts, and booklet files to produce a custom program and sponsor guide. Sample pages below.

Step-and-Repeat

The event would have a 10’x7.5’ step-and-repeat backdrop for photo ops. Below are drafts that were proposed to TDF leadership. The male silhouette is sized at 5’7” for reference.

Below is the approved step-and-repeat design, and a photo of it printed on the day of the event.

The Big Day

The large-format, all-around branding was applied to signage and centerpieces across 30 Rock, inside the Rainbow Room, and the outside Gallery.

TDF and the Rainbow Room staff dressed the venue the evening before the breakfast. Lavish pieces from the TDF Costume Collection were displayed in the Rainbow Room to also celebrate the Collection’s 50th anniversary.

Official Event Photos

Photos by Rebecca J Michelson and Hunter Canning