The Fife Arms, owned by husband-and-wife art-dealing team Iwan and Manuela Wirth, has opened with branding by London-based studio Here Design.

Reimagined as a Victorian coaching inn, the 46-room property is situated in the Scottish village of Braemar, with the location also having served as the starting point for the development of the hotel’s core brand identity.

“Through an exploration of Braemar’s visual history through the ages – supported by a local group of historians – drawing on a collection of local ephemera including catalogues from the Braemar Gathering – Here crafted an identity that has a deep connection to the dynamics of the village,” explain the designers.

“Drawing on these local points of reference including The Fife Arms’ original signage, Here created a fluid hotel logo that takes a multitude of typographic forms with an energy and playfulness that embodies the eclecticism of the hotel’s interior design and artistic collaborations.”

Additional design details include individual books illustrated by Here for each of the hotel’s 46 themed bedrooms, telling the story of each room “that commemorates the personalities and characters that play a role in the history of Braemar and the hotel.”

“At a time when many brands are stripping back their identities and adopting a more neutral and international style, we were inspired by Iwan and Manuela’s desire to take reference from a specific regional and local visual history that was much more variable and idiosyncratic that we are used to today,” says Mark Paton, creative partner at Here Design.

Here Design
www.heredesign.co.uk