Visual identity and art direction for boutique hotel EPI 1959, in Ramatuelle. 

Épi, a hotel originally opened by nightclub owner Jean Castel in1959, was one of the most iconic hangouts in the golden age of the French Riviera. The hotel lived off its reputation for many years, but in 2018 it came into the hands of a new owner who wished to restore it to its former glory and create a five star boutique experience, whilst providing guests with the familiar comforts of staying in a relative’s summerhouse. Renaming the hotel ‘Épi1959’, the property underwent renovation with the help of interior designer Monica Damonte and garden designer Madison Cox.

The visual identity echoes the idea of re-imagining the hotel in its hay day, by recycling cultural elements from the era of its1959 inception; for instance the typeface is a reconstruction of that used on a Pablo Picasso hand-painted exhibition poster from 1948. In addition, graphic elements were extracted from the abstract forms found in Jean Cocteau and Picasso sketches, which were then transcribed by hand in blue biro.