Dylan Hotel

2012

Designed by Rachel Kerr at CI Studio

Creative Direction: Mel O'Rourke

Categories: Identity / Print

Industry: Commercial

Tags: Restaurant / Hotel

Website: cistudio.ie/work/dylan-hotel

The Dylan Hotel is a 5-star boutique hotel off Dublin's Baggot Street. A new visual treatment was formed to coincide with the refurbishment of the hotel which included the addition of three new spaces within the building, a new restaurant, cocktail bar and terrace area.

This identity system was designed to introduce the rich history of the building itself, giving it a back story and helping Dylan to re-engage with both their existing loyal customers and to reach out to a new audience. Formerly the nurses home for the Royal City of Dublin Hospital located around the corner on Baggot Street, the new restaurant became The Eddison, named after Miss Edith Annie Eddison, the cocktail bar became The Ruby Room after Miss Ruby Stokes, both previous matrons of the hospital. The outdoor, leafy terrace became The Nurserie, a name synonymous with the cultivation of trees and plants. This heritage needed to be integrated within both the identity and the space, to become part of the fabric of Dylan.

Old photographs of the nurses from different eras are displayed within the newly designed spaces and on printed pieces. Each of the new spaces required their own identity, while also feeling part of the one family. The badge that the nurses from the Royal City of Dublin Hospital received upon completion of their training, provided inspiration for a pattern that forms the backdrop throughout various communication pieces in a guise other than words and photographs. This is used on select items from menus, through to the inlay of wood on bespoke tables, reflecting the provenance in a relevant and experiential form, honouring those who worked there, and enriching those who stay. Details from the uniforms the nurses wore in old photographs lent visual cues to the uniforms designed for the staff.