Hasta La Ideas

London design studio Construct has given the branding of London’s famous Claridge’s hotel a thorough overhaul, starting with the hotel’s crest which has been redrawn and the logotype which has also been redrawn using a refined weight of typeface SangBleu…

Because it is a working hotel with a huge number of items traditionally branded (from teapots and egg cups through to slippers and dressing gowns), Construct’s task of not just branding, but implementing a consistent and cohesive sense of identity throughout the hotel and the objects within it was by no means straightforward. In fact, the rollout of the new branding is ongoing throughout this year as there are so many different ideas to implement across a huge range of items.

As well as introducing a sophisticated colour palette of jade, gold, white and black, bold architecturally inspired chevron patterns appear on the inside of bags, envelopes and on various objects, publications and goodies guests at the hotel are lilkely to encounter. Here are a selection of images of some of the items (some are mock ups yet to be produced) that display Claridge’s new look:

The branding goes way beyond letterheads and crests emblazoned on the front of menus. On the large inventory of branded innovations is an eye-catching take on a traditional rocking horse – it’s a rocking zebra (the black stripes are playfully on-brand); a rather wonderful chevroned Kimono instead of a dressing gown (a design graphic shown above); a jogging map for guests to plan their morning run in Hyde Park; a quarterly guest newspaper; and a rather nice sterling silver chevron bookmark (below). Even the TV interface has received the rebrand and guests will also come across various seasonal luxury gifts such as an appropriately packaged Easter Egg or a Christmas Pudding. As well as handling the business of creating and conveying a strong brand, Construct have seemingly managed to do something else: inject fun (and not at the expense of luxury) to the proceedings…

Behold, the Claridge’s easter egg!

When parents check in to the hotel, their kids (if of appropriate age and disposition, of course) are given this rather fetching canvas bag which is full of various goodies, including toys, card games and stickers

“We put aside design dogma that prescribes the corporate and repetitive approach of a consistent logo on every item possible in the belief that if you see it often enough it will be remembered,” says Construct’s creative director Georgia Fendley of the approach to the rebrand. “We felt that this was overkill and in fact did not allow the personality of the hotel to shine through. Better, we felt, to celebrate Claridge’s unique qualities by expressing them through a hundred exquisite experiences. Claridge’s needed branding with a degree of flexibility and imagination that enables staff to deliver a level of service that cannot be prescribed but is intuitive and personal.”

constructlondon.com/

claridges.co.uk/