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The challenge
Located within one of Vienna’s most prestigious hotel environments, the retail space that would become Grand Palais needed to offer more than a conventional shopping experience. The ambition was to create a destination that combined luxury retail, refined service and contemporary lifestyle culture within a single cohesive brand.
The challenge was not simply to attract premium retailers, but to establish a distinctive identity capable of standing alongside them. The brand needed to feel aspirational, elegant and fashion-led while retaining a strong connection to its Viennese setting and heritage.
The solution
The project began with a comprehensive positioning exercise to define the purpose, values and personality of the new brand. As the strategy evolved, Grand Palais shifted away from the conventions of traditional shopping centre branding and towards something closer to a luxury fashion house.
A refined visual identity was developed around a bespoke GP monogram, designed to communicate elegance, exclusivity and timeless style. Inspired by the visual language of established luxury brands, the monogram became the foundation of a broader identity system that could be applied across campaigns, packaging and environmental graphics.
A carefully curated photography style reinforced the aspirational nature of the brand, pairing fashion-led imagery with the campaign message, ‘Shop Your Own Style’. Together, these elements created a cohesive visual language designed to celebrate individuality, luxury and self-expression.
The outcome
The identity system was designed to extend across every aspect of the customer experience, from large-scale environmental graphics and outdoor advertising to packaging, gift wrap and branded retail materials.
The GP monogram evolved into a repeating pattern inspired by the traditions of luxury fashion branding, creating opportunities for recognition and consistency across both physical and promotional touchpoints. Campaign creative was developed for use throughout Vienna, including transport advertising, city-centre poster sites and prominent street-facing installations around the retail destination itself.
Together, these elements demonstrated how a retail environment could be positioned not simply as a place to shop, but as a lifestyle brand in its own right — one rooted in the elegance, culture and contemporary spirit of Vienna.
