Luxury cocktail lounge Swan & King invites guests to live like royalty.

Opulent and inviting at first glance, patrons quickly realise the bar is like no other.

To increase visitation to the Canberra Rex – the hotel housing Swan & King – our primary objective was to develop unforgettable hospitality branding. But with a series of internal venues yet to be unveiled, the bar also had to sit comfortably within the upcoming hierarchy of the entire site.

Luxe? Check. Memorable? Check. Weird? Check.

Branding

Setting the tone for a classic, sophisticated brand, the Swan & King icon is a fluid graphic statement. Its decorative, emblematic approach highlights the royal inspiration behind the name, conveying decadence, luxury and indulgence to patrons. The bespoke ampersand is unique to the brand, having been designed to make a special statement.

Paying homage to the bar’s namesake, Ludwig II of Bavaria, the brand story and personality set the tone for the unusual tale of the Swan King. Enticing guests to indulge through expressive adjectives and references to prominent folklore, voice and tone remain adult – appealing to mature sensibilities and palates.

Colour plays an integral role in distinguishing the brand. Purposefully regal in approach, midnight blues and shades of gold pair with the bar’s physical space. Custom illustrated brand icons are clean and simple, locking together to create a dynamic repeat pattern.

To build a following and encourage user-generated content, venue hashtags and incentives are displayed on standard in-house materials and across social feeds.

Menu titles derive inspiration from fables, fairy tales and King Ludwig’s life and ancestry, further enhancing the restaurant’s fantastical persona.

Website

With a custom-designed WordPress system that serves as a uniting, master-controlled theme for the entire hotel, Swan & King’s bespoke, three-part layout design is consistent with other sites under the hotel’s brand architecture.

Organising a host of consistent elements, including a global navigation system, dynamic content feeds, and an integrated social gallery, design incorporates the brand’s detailed illustrations and fluid type to evoke a strong sense of decadence.

Fulfilling the brand’s mission in promising a transformative dining experience, website design communicates an exceptional, upmarket feel. Promoting emotional benefits of satisfaction and indulgence, the site encourages visitors to discover the capital’s quirkiest cocktail lounge as they please.

Launch

To generate excitement ahead of the bar’s hard launch date, a cobranded launch campaign, Tame The Wild, was ideated to wed Swan & King with its connected rooftop venue The Howling Moon. General community interest developed over always-on social content over the course of five months, with buzz then channelled into the official event – promoted solely through social media and local press partnerships.

Procuring entertainment and enticements for the evening, we crafted different experiences for each bar — incorporating ample opportunity for social engagement.

Our strategic Tame The Wild cobranded launch campaign communicated with over 100,000 Facebook users via paid media and 42,000 Instagram users organically, with event revenue doubling the average Friday night income.

Communications

Communications combine sophisticated imagery with crisp graphic elements to create a highly curated aesthetic. In an unusual contrast, oil paintings are overlaid with peculiar graphics to emphasise brand intrigue.

Event campaigns and collateral invite guests to be who they want for a night, promoting affordable packages to tempt locals. Keeping with the brand’s eccentric offering, media releases and advertising promote the mystery of the venue, encouraging visitors to experience the fairy tale in reality.

From conceptualising cohesive brands for our internal venues to providing ongoing support and management, the team at BEING have consistently displayed professionalism, creativity and flexibility under pressure. They have raised the profiles of our bars across a range of touchpoints, while providing us with the guidelines to create on-brand communications. We are so happy to have partnered with BEING and look forward to collaborating on the branding of our remaining venues in the near future.

Jackie Gregory
General Manager, Canberra Rex Hotel

Ready to start
a project?

    • I'm interested in
    • How did you hear about us?