Kristjana S Williams works with The Partners on Connaught hotel identity

Hotel branding can so often be a dowdy affair, as if the design nods to the temporary nature of the building’s inhabitants – something to move on from, rather than to dwell on. So it’s wonderful to see a brave, opulent new identity for the Connaught in London’s Mayfair, designed by The Partners around a stunning new artwork by Kristjana S Williams which now hangs in the hotel.

This depiction of the Connaught and its history then formed the basis for The Partners’ new identity designs, which move on the hotel’s purple colour palette and crest. The consultancy drew out elements of Kristjana’s image and applied them to 160 different pieces of collateral, from menus to bags to umbrellas and some very cute colouring books.

Kristjana’s luxuriant work shows her signature flora and fauna but in a distinctly metropolitan setting, taking her decadently-plumed birds out onto Mayfair’s streets. As is befitting of the area, the identity is sumptuous yet unreservedly traditional, with visual references to the hotel’s namesake Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and the Horse Chestnut trees seen at the Connaught’s entrance. While we’re not quite sure where the charming little rodent in the colouring book comes into the story, we’re very happy to see him and his peculiar tail there nonetheless.