A hotel freshly hewn in Manchester, but forged from Brooklyn past and present. Hotel Brooklyn is the sister hotel to Manchester's very popular Gotham Hotel, and continues to focus on building an Empire State of Mind in the city. And not just a hotel; restaurants, bars and a rooftop venue are all thrown in to the mix.
The concept and positioning for the hotel was inspired by the writing of one of our favourite American authors, Damon Runyon. Runyon wrote in a style all of his own with a distinctly New Yorker voice. His stories are full of likely characters with name's like: Harry the Horse, Sorrowful Jones and the Lemon Drop Kid. The tone and style of the hotel follow his lead, with a gritty, urban style full of humour and wit.
Hotel Brooklyn harks back to the industrial era in Brooklyn, somewhere between 1880 - 1930, just as the iconic bridge was being built. The colours, copy, and typography have been carefully chosen to reflect this age of industry and workmanship, and the characters behind it. Taking inspiration from the guys up on the wires... the true grafters, working long shifts painting, building, maintaining and everything in between.
The Hotel Brooklyn identity is built with a whole series of connecting pieces and logos, including the idiosyncratic contraction for Brooklyn - BKLYN, which is used for merchandise and signage throughout the site.
We created a language and a series of expressions for the hotel, inspired by Runyon's unique style. Black & white archive images are combined with comical captions in speech bubbles, bringing the characters to life by utilising some of the playful copy.
A collection of branded hand stamps were created
and are used across the range of collateral.
Key cards, postcards, breakfast menus and a branded newspaper are all part of the Brooklyn experience.
Breakfast in bed? Tick!
More than just a hotel, Brooklyn serves up food and drinks all day long to hungry and thirsty travellers. We named and created unique identities for the restaurants in the hotel; from the all-day diner Runyon's, to The Stoop and Salvation Bar.
The Runyon's restaurant pays homage to American storyteller Damon Runyon, whose writing celebrates the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era.
Runyon spent the twenties absorbing the material he would use in the thirties. This period in America, particularly in New York, was one of youth and culture. Known as the ‘roaring’ twenties, mens hair became slicked-back, their trousers got wider and the women’s skirts got shorter.
Our designs reflect this great period in America and the dry wit and style of the man himself.
Runyon had a keen eye for characters, studying people by sitting and patiently observing. He created “Runyonesque characters” like: Hot Horse Herbie, Dream Street Rose, Harry the Horse, Little Isadore and Madame La Gimp.
This has been encapsulated through the use of archival illustrations from the time period.
The Stoop. Waiting on a friend, taking in the air, reading a paper or just sipping a cocktail, The Stoop is where you shoot the breeze and chew the fat.
There's only one way to Salvation. With a gentle allusion to Jean Simmon's character in Guys and Dolls, the rooftop bar at Brooklyn has a spiritual mood. We're hoping an "army" of hipsters will turn up to drink cocktails and salute the good times.
Badges at Salvation mean something. They mean a commitment to good times, and you can't buy that, you need to earn it...
