ABOUT

The Brief: In a moment of inspired madness Rory and Vicki Steel brought their years of hospitality experience together in the purchase of a 17th Century coaching in in the wilds of Selkirk, Scotland. The previous owners had alienated the local community and run the bar and B&B business into the ground. With a view to refresh both the the bar, B&B and its reputation; Rory and Vicki commissioned me to revitalise their identity, collateral, website and exterior signage.

Briefed in January 2023, and with a launch planned for February, we had to work fast; myself on the new identity and Rory on the interior of the bar and B&B with Vicki keeping an eye on interior design, planning and the purse strings.

The Solution: In conducting my research into the crossed keys as a symbol I found literally hundreds of bars all with the same name and identity as used for the current bar with its roots in the archdiocese representing the keys to heaven.

Looking to create an ownable point of difference was paramount if we were to make the identity stand out in this crowded space. To counter this I created an identity that took the initials of the Cross Keys Inn Ettrickbridge and integrated them into the crossed keys symbol. The brief was to meet the expectations of the local community with the brand look and feel leaning towards a traditional approach. The resulting design marries both traditional and contemporary ideas together in a considered and sophisticated way.

The bar and B&B was relaunched on the 6th February with multiple bookings and a great response from the local community who also gave many welcome and positive comments on the new branding.