PROJECT NARRATIVEVocabolo Moscatelli is a 12th century monastery in Umbria, Italy, restored and reopened as a small hotel in 2022. The hotel's philosophy centres on slow living & community - guests create their own routines here, while gathering around shared spaces designed for conversation. This project, a self-directed university brief, explores design as a mediator between people and place - a storytelling tool. I conducted an interview with the owner of Vocabolo Moscatelli, Fred, to understand the cultural and historical narrative of the place - the insights becoming the foundation for the brand strategy and identity.
The brand identity is built around two core concepts. The idea of Voices is drawn from the Umbrian meaning of the hotel's name, ‘Vocabolo’, and its physical spaces being designed for gathering and conversation. The second concept, rooted in time, is the classic itallian philosophy of Slow Living, guests are encouraged to shape their own routine here. The copywriting system uses poetic language loosely inspired by Gaston Bachelard’s ‘The Poetics of Space’, designed to invite interpretation, conversation and reflection in spaces. Visually, the system uses an arc structure for headlines, referencing the anchors of the day, sunrise and sunset. Typography balances classical and contemporary - much like the restoration itself, and the restrained colour palette is rooted in warmth and the landscape. Every element, from the core name mark to in-room stationery and menus, is designed to be engaged with, something guests actively participate in rather than passively observe.