CONCEPTUALIZING AND BRANDING
Developing a concept:
Based on the precedent studies and literature reviews conducted to understand the design intentions and elements of boutique hotels, developing a strong concept for the hotel is necessary to portray a specific brand and aesthetic.
When people think of the Aurora Hotel, I want them to think: dramatic, enhancing, intentional, vibrant, and captivating. These desciptor words help build the foundation for the concept.
From these key elements of what the hotel's concept should be derived from, the concept chosen for the hotel is: theater.
Concept: Theater
Why a theater?
A theater is a place of drama, awe, and wonder. It provides attendees with entertainment in a beautiful setting with an experience to enjoy and remember. A theater has dramatic lighting, focal points, and creative set design. It draws people in and leaves them wanting to come back for more. At the end of the night, they wish their experience never had to end!
Concept Statement:
A theater provides people with a special experience focused on beauty, entertainment, and talent. The entire theater is dedicated to enhance each individual's experience towards a specific focal point with a consistent aroma throughout. The integration of history, luxury, and uniqueness is all encompassing for an exclusive experience.
Theaters are designed with dramatic lighting to create an aroma that is unforgettable. Backstage, the theater is fast paced and extremely particular to create a successful show. Everything is catered to bring joy to the attendees. The set design is created with flow and function, each piece fitting in within an intended location in perfect balance and harmony with every other piece.
The seating is comfortable and relaxing to invite people in and be social. Providing a space for people to meet and interact with others encourages a sense if intimacy and community. All the theatrical, dramatic, and atmospheric elements of a theater leave a lasting impression and relate back to the five descriptors: dramatic, enhacing, intentional, vibrant, and captivating.
Each of these elements of the theater can be transferred into intentional design aspects of the hotel - all aimed at providing the guests with a unique and memorable stay.
Hotel Logo
Logo Design and Branding
After developing a concrete concept to base the design of the hotel off of, the next important step is to create a memorable brand name and brand image.
The chosen name for the hotel is Aurora Hotel. The image (left) showcases the hotel name and custom logo.
The name "Aurora" comes from two different backgrounds and meanings.
The first is the association with the northern lights, or Aurora Borealis. The Aurora Borealis are beautiful, natural displays of light in the night sky only seen in rare moments from specific locations. The rarity of them is what helps make them especially beautiful and unique. This meaning connects to the hotel in the sense that the hotel is a unique place people will always come back to at the end of the night and should hold a sense of beauty and desire for returning.
The second meaning associated with Aurora is that it is the true and given name of the princess known as Sleeping Beauty. Connecting the name Aurora to that of a beautiful princess who is asleep relates to the hotel as it is a beautiful place that people come back to for sleep. It is a beautiful place to sleep.
The logo is designed to visually represent the meanings of beauty, elegance, and night-time. The "A" is scripted in an arabian format, drawing inspiration from the arabian nights, positioned next to a simple moon and star details. The simplicity of the logo with specific details and elements that represent a night-time experience add to the desired brand image and concept.