Say 'hello' to your new Mama

Recently we've been busy helping Parisian hotel Mama Shelter prepare for its rapid expansion which will see the opening of three more hotels in Lyon, Marseille and Istanbul, with another two to follow in Bordeaux, and Los Angeles.

In case you didn't know, the Mama brand is positioned as an 'affordable luxury' hotel offering a unique mix of friendliness and communality, where guests sit together at large tables enjoying hearty food like your granny used to make, or party hard together in the bar at nights. Design interiors are chic and eclectic with a drop of surreal humour and exposed concrete walls collide with graffitied blackboard ceilings and retro artefacts. The overall atmosphere is a combination of relaxed cosiness meets offbeat artist commune!

Briefed to design the identity and all touch points throughout the existing and new hotels, something memorable and unusual was required to reflect the eclectic nature of Mama .

The result is a logo that is bold and unconventional, warm and cozy and plays off the name 'Mama'. A chicken sits over the name, the negative space between its legs making the shape of an egg. Meanwhile, the hotel locations are differentiated by adding 'leg tags' to the logo. The logo is used sparingly within the hotel, appearing only on an iMac screen in each guest room, stationery and the occasional feather pattern used to line envelops and bags.

This was part of a deliberate 'non-branding' attitude and allowed us scope to ramp up the creative, eclectic aspect of Mama. As such every application has been created to surprise and delight in its own way. From a range of quirky key card holders, to alternating and unorthodox menu designs to a variety of do not disturb signs - the graphic language is diverse, encompassing cross-stitched statements, kitsch objects, famous French characters and vintage postcards. 

The graphic applications will continually change across the different locations making them the perfect expression of the philosophy of the hotel itself - expect to be charmed, surprised on your next visit!