Hadrian’s Hotel Branding
- Branding
- Copywriting
- Website design
- Brand social assets
- Menu development
Hadrian’s Hotel in the heart of Northumberland is a project we developed for a long-standing client encompassing brand identity, art direction, and application for their new hotel and pub that would feel both historically grounded and confidently modern.
From the outset, the ambition was clear: to create a visual language that celebrate the region’s rich heritage while presenting a bold, modern hospitality experience.
Positioned within close reach of several Roman sites, including Housestead’s Roman Fort, the identity draws from this context, utilising the distinct geometric footprint of these sites as a key conceptual influence in shaping the brand mark. These structural references are layered with subtle hotel iconography – the room key, ensuring the venue’s function is clearly communicated while maintaining a symbolic connection to its surroundings.
Textured edging and graphic speckled overlays play a key role within the identity. Inspired by weathered stone these textural elements help evoke an aged look and feel while adding to the ownable elements featured within the brand.
The art direction adopts a tactile, expressive aesthetic comprising close crops of warm, inviting materials found around the venue alongside subtle references to the local landscape through panoramic visuals and earthy macro shots.
The colour palette draws from the uniforms worn by Roman soldiers stationed along Hadrian’s Wall, incorporating deep reds and warm orange tones as well earthy neutrals and rich charcoals. These historic influences are reinterpreted to offer a deep base of rich colour while brighter hues and contrasting tones are utilised to inject some modernity, resulting in a palette that feels vibrant and contemporary while retaining its warmth, heritage and richness.
The final identity is applied to menus, coasters, printed materials, and digital touch-points, all adopting layered textures and bold typographic compositions, positioning Hadrian’s Hotel as a modern landmark inspired by ancient foundations — a space where heritage informs experience, and bold design brings Northumberland’s history vividly into the present.
