Over the past two years, we’ve had the pleasure of working in collaboration with Stephen Spencer + Associates, and a number of these unique visitor attractions that prevail to help us understand our past, discover our cultural identity and engage with the special places we’ve inherited.
Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire brands itself as “Britain’s Greatest Palace”. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal country house in England to hold the title of palace. We were proud to work in collaboration with Stephen Spencer + Associates to produce the Guest Charter for the Palace; a beautifully printed publication outlining the vision, mission and values of the organisation. The Guest Charter is distributed to staff and stakeholders to provide a guide for maintaining high standards in the visitor experience, and has been extremely well received.
Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London is renowned as one of the world’s leading dance venues. It was first opened as a “Musick House” by Richard Sadler in 1683 and the name originates from his name, and the rediscovery of monastic springs which previously served a priory, where the Sadler’s home, now the theatre, sits. Earlier this year we created the design and layout for the Sadler’s Wells Visitor Charter. As with Blenheim palace, the publication outlines the theatre’s vision, mission and values. As one of one of the world’s leading dance organisations, maintaining high standards in the visitor experience is crucial.
As well as working on specific projects for SS+A, we also created the new brand for this innovative group back in the Spring of this year. It has been a pleasure to see the roll out of the brand as Stephen and the team go from strength to strength. Stephen and the team of Associates (including our own Creative Director, Dean Ford) help clients to develop a sixth sense to maximise the retail opportunities of Visitor Attractions across the country. Having created the original brand for SS+A back in 2020, this project was a great example of creating a brand refresh for an organisation going through an evolution and redirection in the focus of its business.
In addition to creating the logo, colour palette and fonts, we looked at key messaging to include imagery and graphic styles, producing a set of brand guidelines to assist stakeholders in communicating their message clearly. This evolved Stephen Spencer + Associates brand is designed to be contemporary and bold; to capture the attention and imagination of the viewer, to inspire, to be relatable, and to encourage action. It is about innovation, moving forward and aspiration.
When we design for cultural and heritage projects, we take into account the story, the environments, the collections, and the past and continuing cultural practices of the place. It is our responsibility to preserve the identity of these places and translate the essence of each place into the work we produce. If you are lucky enough to be part of the heritage industry and feel that your special place needs some design help, do get in touch, we’d love to help.
