W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott International, unveils W Shanghai – The Bund, in the heart of one of the world’s most energetic cities. With limitless views overlooking the Huangpu River, W Shanghai will set the scene on the North Bund. Owned by Sinar Mas Group, the hotel features a blend of bold design and decadent style which combines to create a captivating contrast of Shanghai’s past and its avant-garde present.

W is defying expectations and breaking the norms of traditional luxury wherever the iconic W sign lands. That’s why Corlette’s deconstructed, faceted entry sign is a bold, larger than life, sculptural statement. A highly crafted glass artwork, it reflects the coming together of the old and new, rotating through different colourways to light up the night.

Corlette’s sky sign for W Shanghai is a bold futuristic beacon, set atop the uniquely curved frame of the building’s edifice. Glamorous interior wayfinding is alight with electric fire, and highly reflective, metallic profile-cut letters ‘wow’ and pop on directional signs.

W Suzhou is a uniquely compelling and magical destination to bring to life within the W portfolio. Known as the Venice of China, Suzhou is 2,500 years old and home to spectacular UNESCO classical gardens, canals and ancient water towns. The hotel, designed by Rockwell Group Madrid, highlights traditional and natural elements through the W brand’s vibrant brand palette. These concepts are integrated into the hotel’s aesthetic, reinterpreting lakes, rocks, pavilions and gates as levitating elements woven throughout the hotel. At the porte cochere for example, guests are greeted by a crystal cloud, a dichroic acrylic and metal chandelier that simulates the subtle flow of clouds through changes in lighting and mist.

Corlette’s signage Design concept for W Suzhou continues the concept of Levitation: to rise or float in the air, especially as a supernatural power that overcomes gravity. Celebrating Suzhou’s famous gardens, the signage is reimagined within a curious, magical, garden-like space where elements float, colours change and imagination overflows.

Located In the heart of Australia’s Red Centre, Voyages Sails in the Desert hotel beautifully contrasts Uluru’s raw natural beauty with a decidedly luxurious outback holiday experience. In a destination where one of the world’s oldest cultures still thrives, the mystery, colour and wisdom of the local Anangu people is interwoven into every facet of Sails in the Desert’s modern design. More than luxury accommodation, Sails in the Desert is a destination of exploration and indulgence.

Voyages engaged Corlette to deliver the wayfinding, signage and branding programme for Voyages iconic suite of tiered Uluru hospitality offerings. Overwhelmed by the beauty of the land, our Desert Dreamtimeconcept for Sails, integrates the warmth, vibrancy and natural linear patterning of Uluru. Local reclaimed timber is the base material used throughout the exterior wayfinding program. The timber signs feature a wraparound panel digitally printed with different graphics, illustrated with an Uluru pattern. Integrated in to the landscape, the signage blends beautifully with the surrounds of red earth, and native flora and fauna. In reference to indigenous heritage, phonetic pronunciation is heroed in key venue names, allowing the guest experience to become immersive, educational, and emotionally resonant. The results strengthen connections to Uluru and the local Anangu people through language.

Tucked away, a distant private island reachable by seaplane invites guests to uncover one of the most luxurious resorts in the Maldives. Combining contemporary design and local craftsmanship with a profound appreciation for the ecological environment– relishing and appreciating a precious habitat. The destination’s narrative is of a modern-day John Jacob Astor, rich beyond measure, who has built an ecologically sensitive home where he and his guests can escape to paradise. A truly unique island retreat that celebrates the special relationship between man and nature, the need to treasure the environment and to live in harmony.

The creative wayfinding and signage design concept, Paradise Found, draws inspiration from nature itself, from the marine habitat and the various island ecologies. Corlette was engaged to bring this story to life through wayfinding, signage and branding. On arrival guests are greeted with an iconic main identity sign, a Diana marble slab with an aged patina bronze wrap, reflecting the aerial view of exotic mantra rays swimming laconically around the island. Concealed underside lighting for the bronze frame presents a romantic soft glow in the evening, mimicking the hovering movements of the manta rays within shallow waters.

Wayfinding and guestroom signage integrate with the lighting programme. Various decorative patterns define the different guest accommodation; island, beach, and overwater villas. In the evening stencilled patterns within the signage create beautiful dappled lighting over pathways.

Corlette designed a complete suite of Food & Beverage logos that were then carefully crafted into ID signage for all venues, across the island.

In December 2015, one of Sydney’s finest examples of art deco glamour opened its doors as Primus Hotel Sydney. Perfectly positioned in the heart of the city, this heritage sensitive refit of the former Sydney Water Board headquarters has breathed new life into an iconic 1930’s building. Once empty offices have now been reinvigorated with charm and grandeur which pays homage to the original art deco design. Corlette worked closely with interior design firm Woods Bagot, along with GBA Heritage, to craft a bespoke, integrated and seamless signage design program as an ode to a time of design decadence that remains heritage-listed today.

Our design concept, ‘Typography with Manners’ was inspired by fascinating historical photographs of the building during its previous life as a public office. Heritage features of the site, such as original Italian marble columns, were celebrated with complementary finishes and materials to create an elegant, modern feel. Featuring polite language of the times, all messages follow this original tone of voice, elevating the communications and wayfinding and expressing a warmth and hospitality associated with grand hotels of the past.

Carrying our ‘Manners’ concept in to F&B, Corlette crafted the naming, identity, and branding for The Wilmot fine dining bar and restaurant.

The Perth hotel is Aloft’s first step in to the Australian market. Clean, contemporary architecture houses open spaces that are alive with activity. A vibrant social scene starts with the signature WXYZ^® bar, hosting live music from up-and-coming local artists. Artwork from local, West Australian artists, include works by Anya Brock and David Spencer. Aloft Perth was built by BGC Development in partnership with Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Part of The Springs mixed-use development, the hotel offers a modern all-day dining venue, and event spaces with panoramic views of the Swan River.

Aloft Perth brings a new kind of hotel experience to West Australian shores. Different by design, our work for Aloft Perth embodies the open and upbeat hotel concept, with its industrial, urban aesthetic, sophisticated design and savvy use of space. Our final designs pushed the boundaries of Aloft’s brand guidelines, to better reflect the bold interiors. Oversized iconography, intense colours, concrete finishes, and stencil lettering all inject a dynamic street aesthetic into the final signage program.

Already making its mark, Aloft Perth recently won a slew of Industry Awards, including Winner of AHA WA 2017 Accommodation Industry Awards, Best Superior Accommodation Hotel.

W Hotels are known for Design that defies expectations in iconic locations and for brand expressions that require Extreme Wow. More than just a hotel experience, W is a luxury lifestyle destination where signage and wayfinding are expected to provide surprising, memorable moments that captivate their guests. Key to each W property is its signature W sculpture, setting the stage for exclusive and extraordinary experiences that are amplified across social media, around the world. Coordination with the interiors was essential to the success of this project, to ensure signage legibility within an environment of wildly contrasting wall finishes.

Each W Hotel captures its own unique sense of place. W Brisbane achieves this through the wondrous, Brisbane-centric, hotel narrative of a River dreaming. Large W sculptures set the tone, combining Brisbane vitality with the vibrant colour of jacaranda trees surrounding the site. Different qualities of water are explored through materiality, from highly reflective lettering like still water, to letters that appear like tumble-worn river stones. Carpark signage references the art facade of the building, bringing a little of the architecture inside and injecting it with a vibrant Queensland palette. Signage made of water droplet-like glass balls and dichroic surfaces shift and change as guests move past them, creating signage that is not static, but as vibrant and changing as the city itself.

Anchors Aweigh is a brand story crafted to reaffirm Pier One’s connection to the harbour, its nautical heritage, and the rich colonial history of its locale. The owners, TMG Holdings Ltd Pty, and their new global partner, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, commissioned Corlette to reposition the hotel and develop a set of brand values and a new identity embodying the positioning of Marriott’s collection of Autograph hotels – Exactly like nothing else. The vision is to create a renewed sense of direction and consolidate the hotel’s reputation as Sydney’s leading landmark hotel.

Our resulting brand design uniquely blends history with a nautical palette and symbology, and clean, contemporary typography. The Anchors Aweigh brand positioning and accompanying marketing materials have unified back and front of house, streamlined a number of internal processes and provided staff with the tools to deliver an experience befitting the hotel’s landmark location. Since implementation, Pier One team morale, brand awareness, and occupancy rates are all up. Delivering the right results and the right clientele.

Our brief was to establish a new 20^th Century classic look and feel for the hotel, across signage and graphics, appropriate for one of the world’s leading luxury brands. Defining a position and style in-keeping with the brief, we designed for an intimate and welcoming space more akin to a home than a hotel. Our approach is pared-back, refined, and elegant, The choice of materials and use of language creates a solution as unobtrusive and understated as possible. Minimalist typography, stylish black and white photography, honest materials and simplicity in F&B naming, for The Dining Room and The Bar, combine in a stylish and elegant solution that designed to be seen and not heard.