Leeds Castle embarked on an adventure which involved new unique displays to introduce Lady Olive Baillie – one of the most sophisticated, yet enigmatic female owners of the Castle, which sees it return to the glamorous 1930s.
The idea was to transport visitors back in time to discover the rescue and restoration of the Castle and its transformation into complete interiors styled by Lady Baillie and her collaborators, including top French designers Armand-Albert Rateau to Stéphane Boudin.
The Leeds Castle team invited BISON to come up with creative design ideas and make and install infographics, wall decals, framed images, large format printed graphics and brochures to support the immersive journey back to the hedonistic glamorous era (where guests would party until the early hours).
During the initial stages we toured the castle and were given information to be displayed in specific areas. Following this, we were tasked with coming up with ideas and suggestions on how to make the theme follow through. It had to be easy to read and understand, yet be visually impactful.
It was an immersive experience that got us acquainted with the typography, language and tone of the era – background research included reading books such as ‘Tips on Tipping’ and ‘Table & Domestic Etiquette’.
The sustainable origins of materials was important to the Leeds Castle team. All signage and graphics make a huge impact and were made from paper-based substrates and printed using vegan inks from 100% renewable energy.
We have worked very successfully with BISON before and they understand not only our design concepts but also how these relate to new branding and our ‘Spirit of Place’.
The displays are image led and playful – they have raised many smiles with visitors comparing the 1930s with today, and what was required from employees of Lady Baillie. The quotations applied directly onto the walls have been very successful, with children reading them out loud and visitors hearing a first-person voice in the Castle.
We were very impressed with BISON’s design vision for the project – there were so few design iterations: the brief was met almost straight away. All aspects discussed were taken on and they worked flexibly to deliver what was needed. We really appreciated the collaborative working and that BISON put in the extra time and effort to achieve the impact and quality we needed.
A pleasure working with the team!
