Background
When the Guild House hoteliers came knocking at our door and shared their vision for an innovative hotel experience grounded by historical roots, we had no reservations about joining the project.
They had acquired the national historic landmark that had been known as the New Century Guild, a renowned women’s support organization founded by Eliza Sproat Turner back in 1882, that had been dedicated to meeting the specific needs of “self-supporting” working women. These forward-thinking women who stepped out of their homes and into the workforce were trailblazers of their time, paving the way for women to make a mark on society for generations to come.
Challenge
To rebrand a piece of history in a beautiful, modern way while still honoring the past.
Solution
We took the story and history behind the property, and allowed it to guide our designs.
Results
Branding that is light, elegant, simplistic, thoughtful, and meticulous. The complete brand experience came to life in every detail, resulting in a MICHELIN Key award.
Fast Forward to 2019
The goal was to re-imagine this history-making space into a luxurious boutique hotel that highlighted the original stories of the remarkable women of the New Century Guild. Pretty suites that paid homage to each intriguing member of the Guild sounded pretty sweet. Even sweeter? The opportunity to collaborate with a select community of women-owned businesses to turn this collective vision into a reality.
Rewriting Her-story
Our task was to create a beautiful modern design that still felt true to its original roots. The brand identity needed to reflect a perfect blend of classic and timeless yet fresh and modern. It was critically important that the design complement—and not overshadow—the history and story of the hotel and women. Once established, the consistent implementation of the brand identity across every possible touchpoint was key.
Fast Forward to 2019
The goal was to re-imagine this history-making space into a luxurious boutique hotel that highlighted the original stories of the remarkable women of the New Century Guild. Pretty suites that paid homage to each intriguing member of the Guild sounded pretty sweet. Even sweeter? The opportunity to collaborate with a select community of women-owned businesses to turn this collective vision into a reality.
Rewriting Her-story
Our task was to create a beautiful modern design that still felt true to its original roots. The brand identity needed to reflect a perfect blend of classic and timeless yet fresh and modern. It was critically important that the design complement—and not overshadow—the history and story of the hotel and women. Once established, the consistent implementation of the brand identity across every possible touchpoint was key.
branding
This project was literally the ultimate rebrand—taking something from a different historical era, and breathing new life into it with twenty-first century appeal based on elegant and sophisticated design principles.
We took inspiration from some of the New Century Guild materials provided by the Historical Society of Philadelphia, and reviewed some of the typography from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and elevated these inspired designs with a fresh and modern feel. The GH mark was hand-lettered to add another layer of authenticity. While the logo and website design are prominent brand indicators, we infused small details to further bring the branding to life—from the hotel notepads, to the bath labels, to the room emblems and iconography. The interior and exterior signage, guest directory, and brochures all help to foster a unique, cohesive, and consistent brand identity that is capturing widespread attention.
Color palette & Typography
Stiffkey Blue
Parma Gray
White Dove
Dijon
Black
Josefin Sans Regular
Josefin Sans Semibold
Taviraj Regular
Challenges
It probably goes without saying that Covid threw a major wrench in this hospitality-based project.
But as the original women of the New Century Guild overcame obstacles in their day, so too did we. The pause in construction during 2020 gave additional time to work through some of the finer details that would contribute to the brand and ambience around the hotel—such as creating a customized history book to herald the lives and work of the original Guild members, and stylizing the signage all the way down to the evacuation maps.
outcomes
The conceptualization, design, and execution of this project by a cadre of female-led businesses is the perfect tribute to the extraordinary group of Guild members who made this opportunity possible.
By its very existence, the Guild House Hotel showcases the grit and determination of women, then and now. The result is a reimagined identity that serves as the foundation for an award-winning hotel experience, having earned the prestigious distinction of one MICHELIN Key. We (as women at CWP) are thrilled to be part of the legacy that the women of the original Guild created, and are honored to play a role in rebranding these women and their stories for modern times.
