Here Design combines art and hospitality in identity for The Fife Arms, Braemar

A reimagined Victorian coaching inn, the 46-room property brings together Scottish heritage, craftsmanship and culture with world-class contemporary art and a strong sense of community.

Having been regular visitors to Scotland for a number of years, Iwan and Manuela Wirth have a personal connection to the village, and this acted as a starting point for Here Design’s development of the hotel’s core brand identity.

Through an exploration of Braemar’s visual history through the ages, 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.

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

From walking maps to luggage labels and matchbooks to room books, every element of the hotel’s identity adopts a new element of this highly spirited identity, rooted in the authenticity of the place.

"At a time when many brands are stripping back their identities and adopting a more neutral and international style," says Mark Paton, Creative Partner at Here Design, "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."