Close-up of a dessert plate with a slice of chocolate cake topped with caramel, being cut by a person with painted red nails, on a dark table with a tea cup and a bowl. Also visible are cream desserts topped with strawberries and chopped strawberries.

DUKES HOTEL:
AFTERNOON CURIOSITY
CREATIVE DIRECTION

Services
Creative Direction
Concept Creation
Naming
Brand Identity
Photography
Print Design

Credits
DUKES Hotel

Website
dukeshotel.com

Cover page of a program or invitation titled 'Afternoon Curiosity' hosted by Dukes Hotel, promoting an afternoon tea event, with ornate gold border design on a dark red background.

DUKES Hotel

dukeshotel.com

Creative Direction

Introduction

Nestled in the heart of historic St. James’s Mayfair, DUKES London is a sophisticated, country house located in the heart of the capital. Ever since King Henry 8th built his palace here in the 16th Century, St. James’s has been the exclusive retreat of writers, musicians, politicians and royalty.

Whether you choose to stay in one of our modern or classic style bedrooms or luxurious suites, unwind in the legendary DUKES Bar, savour our Great British Restaurant, or embrace true English chic with Champagne afternoon tea, we promise you an enthusiastic team, dedicated entirely to making your time here exceptional.

Adesso have a longstanding relationship with DUKES Hotel of St James’s which commenced with a series of articles and supplementary photography with Alessandro Palazzi in DUKES Bar.

We were later commissioned to undertake a series of interior photography to supplement upcoming press articles featuring the hotel. The key areas of the hotel included the Duke of Clarence Suite, the Afternoon Tea Room and the GBR Restaurant including the food and beverage offering.

“Our brand exploration clearly identified a need to hint at this curious offering…”

A dark brown background with pink decorative borders and text about making a sweet treat, including a list of ingredients and tea pairing suggestions.

Our latest appointment was to relaunch the Afternoon Tea offering at the hotel. This new and exciting concept put together by specialist patisserie chef Alan Strong in association with JP’s Original teas. The concept is truly only possible describe through tasting it for yourself. A series of curious adaptations of a typical ‘afternoon tea’. Our brand exploration clearly identified a need to hint at this curious offering in the branding. Here we share some extracts of the process we undertook with the team at DUKES to find the right tone as well as some of the final collateral.

Each page corresponded with each course. By using colour and illustrative clues; we sparked the guests curiosity as well as enhancing the overall experience further through print.

A round table set with white teacups, saucers, and silverware, with a tray of assorted desserts including cupcakes, tart, and chocolate treats placed on a gold-colored rectangular tray.
A person with painted red nails cutting a small pastry topped with chocolate and red sprinkles on a white plate. The scene is part of a dessert table with various sweets and a cup of tea or coffee.