We were recently invited by the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards to share how we approach identity design for hospitality, in excellent company alongside their other identity partners, Glasfurd & Walker and Redbeerd.

Here is the interview in full...

When starting a new hospitality project, what comes first for you: concept, brand, or space? How do you ensure they stay aligned throughout?

Space. A rooftop in Barcelona and a basement in Dubai demand completely different thinking. Context shapes everything, and the branding mustn't be a pretty layer added on top. It's a direct response to where you are and what you're doing there.

What does a successful collaboration between branding and interior teams look like? At what stage should each team be involved?

Both teams should work together from day one, no exceptions. Successful collaboration respects that each discipline has its own expertise, while staying aligned on what the concept is trying to achieve. The brand shouldn't compete with the space, and the space shouldn't ignore the brand. When it works, you can't really tell where one ends and the other begins.

As hospitality brands expand across locations, how do you maintain a strong identity while allowing each space to feel distinct and locally relevant?

The strongest hospitality identities are built on a strong idea, not a rigid system. If the core concept is genuinely compelling, it should absorb local context rather than fight it. The goal shouldn't be consistency for its own sake, it should be recognisability on an emotional level. In an ideal world, a guest will feel the same walking into location three as they did in location one, even if it looks different.

What’s a common mistake you see in branding for hospitality projects?

Trying to be clever at every touchpoint. Walls covered in AI-generated "fun" copy. Menus that read like novels. Every surface screaming for attention. Good hospitality branding knows when to speak and when to get out of the way. The best moments are often the quietest ones, like a well-chosen material or an effortless detail that makes you smile.

What’s one moment in the guest journey where branding really makes a difference?

We have two, actually. The first is before they even walk in: a sign, a window, something seen from the street or seen on Instagram that sparks curiosity. The second is the toilets. People spend time alone in there, they look around and take selfies. It's consistently underestimated, yet it's consistently an opportunity to give people something memorable!

Thanks to Marco and Simran at the R&BDA for interviewing us.