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In an ever-expanding hospitality market where brands are striving to forge connection, foster relationships and appeal to patrons like never before, Hotel Rockdale were looking to reconnect with their market through a clever reinvention aimed to build engagement and establish a brand personality befitting of the renewed hotel aesthetic. With a core priority on heroing the art deco heritage of the space while creating branding that is inclusive, energised and benchmarks community, Sophie McNay from SM House set out to craft an identity focused around the concept of belonging.

They wanted to give Hotel Rockdale the foundations for a personalised experience that feels inherently local, transformative and memorable. The primary focus of the branding was to establish a visual connection to the twenties and thirties of the buildings era, with a modern nuance establishing community connection. SM House set out to highlight history through custom illustrations and a branding suite to match.

Sophie built out a line illustration of the front facade, forming a steadfast brand asset oozing charm, able to be applied across multiple mediums.
A custom typeface grounded in sophistication and simplicity was created for the core brand marque balancing the classical extravagance of the art deco facade. The supporting typographic suite was strategically developed to feel approachable and familiar, while linking the hotels history to the present day.

The studio incorporated a gridline system reflective of the crossroad of demographics drawn to the hotel. These grids shift in size, scale and use highlighting the different people and communities coming together under the one roof.