Branding/ Identity/ Campaign
Nobu Hotels
About the Project
Our studio led the transformation of Nobu Hotels' brand identity and tagline, playing a key role in their expansion from just four hotels to forty worldwide. At the time, while Nobu was globally recognized for its iconic restaurants, its hotel brand remained relatively unknown. To bridge this gap, we developed the tagline: "Dine with us. Stay with us." This simple yet powerful statement leveraged the existing reputation of Nobu’s world-class dining, inviting guests to extend their experience into an overnight stay. This strategic positioning fueled brand awareness, increased market interest, and solidified Nobu Hotels as a premier destination in luxury hospitality.
Beyond the core identity, our work extended across every brand touchpoint, ensuring a seamless and refined experience. We designed comprehensive brand guidelines, books, brochures, and all collateral for both front and back of house. Additionally, we developed high-impact advertising campaigns, email marketing, and digital assets that strengthened Nobu’s global presence. Every element was crafted with precision, reinforcing the brand’s understated luxury and timeless sophistication.
Our studio led the transformation of Nobu Hotels' brand identity and tagline, playing a key role in their expansion from just four hotels to forty worldwide. At the time, while Nobu was globally recognized for its iconic restaurants, its hotel brand remained relatively unknown. To bridge this gap, we developed the tagline: "Dine with us. Stay with us." This simple yet powerful statement leveraged the existing reputation of Nobu’s world-class dining, inviting guests to extend their experience into an overnight stay. This strategic positioning fueled brand awareness, increased market interest, and solidified Nobu Hotels as a premier destination in luxury hospitality.
Beyond the core identity, our work extended across every brand touchpoint, ensuring a seamless and refined experience. We designed comprehensive brand guidelines, books, brochures, and all collateral for both front and back of house. Additionally, we developed high-impact advertising campaigns, email marketing, and digital assets that strengthened Nobu’s global presence. Every element was crafted with precision, reinforcing the brand’s understated luxury and timeless sophistication.
Our studio led the transformation of Nobu Hotels' brand identity and tagline, playing a key role in their expansion from just four hotels to forty worldwide. At the time, while Nobu was globally recognized for its iconic restaurants, its hotel brand remained relatively unknown. To bridge this gap, we developed the tagline: "Dine with us. Stay with us." This simple yet powerful statement leveraged the existing reputation of Nobu’s world-class dining, inviting guests to extend their experience into an overnight stay. This strategic positioning fueled brand awareness, increased market interest, and solidified Nobu Hotels as a premier destination in luxury hospitality.
Beyond the core identity, our work extended across every brand touchpoint, ensuring a seamless and refined experience. We designed comprehensive brand guidelines, books, brochures, and all collateral for both front and back of house. Additionally, we developed high-impact advertising campaigns, email marketing, and digital assets that strengthened Nobu’s global presence. Every element was crafted with precision, reinforcing the brand’s understated luxury and timeless sophistication.
Industry
Hospitality
Year
2016-2024
The creation of the 'Dine with us. Stay with us.' tagline was a strategic move to bridge the gap between Nobu’s renowned restaurants and its expanding hotel brand, ensuring guests recognized it as both a dining and hospitality destination.
At the time, Nobu was widely known for its exceptional restaurants, but the hotel brand had not yet gained the same level of recognition. The tagline was conceived to bridge that gap, leveraging the brand’s world-renowned dining experience while sparking curiosity about the hotel side of the business. It perfectly captured the essence of what Nobu offered—an unforgettable culinary journey that could now extend into an equally remarkable stay. This simple yet powerful phrase resonates on multiple levels, blending the allure of dining at Nobu with the promise of a luxurious, unforgettable hotel experience. It was a fitting reflection of the brand’s core philosophy—where exceptional dining and extraordinary hospitality come together in perfect harmony. The tagline continues to echo Nobu’s commitment to excellence and invites guests to experience the best of both worlds, making it a cornerstone of their global success.
The creation of the 'Dine with us. Stay with us.' tagline was a strategic move to bridge the gap between Nobu’s renowned restaurants and its expanding hotel brand, ensuring guests recognized it as both a dining and hospitality destination.
At the time, Nobu was widely known for its exceptional restaurants, but the hotel brand had not yet gained the same level of recognition. The tagline was conceived to bridge that gap, leveraging the brand’s world-renowned dining experience while sparking curiosity about the hotel side of the business. It perfectly captured the essence of what Nobu offered—an unforgettable culinary journey that could now extend into an equally remarkable stay. This simple yet powerful phrase resonates on multiple levels, blending the allure of dining at Nobu with the promise of a luxurious, unforgettable hotel experience. It was a fitting reflection of the brand’s core philosophy—where exceptional dining and extraordinary hospitality come together in perfect harmony. The tagline continues to echo Nobu’s commitment to excellence and invites guests to experience the best of both worlds, making it a cornerstone of their global success.
The creation of the 'Dine with us. Stay with us.' tagline was a strategic move to bridge the gap between Nobu’s renowned restaurants and its expanding hotel brand, ensuring guests recognized it as both a dining and hospitality destination.
At the time, Nobu was widely known for its exceptional restaurants, but the hotel brand had not yet gained the same level of recognition. The tagline was conceived to bridge that gap, leveraging the brand’s world-renowned dining experience while sparking curiosity about the hotel side of the business. It perfectly captured the essence of what Nobu offered—an unforgettable culinary journey that could now extend into an equally remarkable stay. This simple yet powerful phrase resonates on multiple levels, blending the allure of dining at Nobu with the promise of a luxurious, unforgettable hotel experience. It was a fitting reflection of the brand’s core philosophy—where exceptional dining and extraordinary hospitality come together in perfect harmony. The tagline continues to echo Nobu’s commitment to excellence and invites guests to experience the best of both worlds, making it a cornerstone of their global success.
The Nobu Hotels color palette is a carefully curated combination of matte gold, grey, black, and white, each chosen to evoke a sense of understated luxury and modern refinement.
Matte Gold serves as the signature accent color, symbolizing exclusivity and warmth without the flashiness of traditional metallics. Its subtle glow reflects the fine craftsmanship and attention to detail inherent in the Nobu experience.
Grey acts as a grounding neutral, embodying sophistication and balance. It seamlessly complements the brand’s interior aesthetics, aligning with the textures and tones found within Nobu’s hotel and restaurant spaces.
The Nobu Hotels color palette is a carefully curated combination of matte gold, grey, black, and white, each chosen to evoke a sense of understated luxury and modern refinement.
Matte Gold serves as the signature accent color, symbolizing exclusivity and warmth without the flashiness of traditional metallics. Its subtle glow reflects the fine craftsmanship and attention to detail inherent in the Nobu experience.
Grey acts as a grounding neutral, embodying sophistication and balance. It seamlessly complements the brand’s interior aesthetics, aligning with the textures and tones found within Nobu’s hotel and restaurant spaces.
The Nobu Hotels color palette is a carefully curated combination of matte gold, grey, black, and white, each chosen to evoke a sense of understated luxury and modern refinement.
Matte Gold serves as the signature accent color, symbolizing exclusivity and warmth without the flashiness of traditional metallics. Its subtle glow reflects the fine craftsmanship and attention to detail inherent in the Nobu experience.
Grey acts as a grounding neutral, embodying sophistication and balance. It seamlessly complements the brand’s interior aesthetics, aligning with the textures and tones found within Nobu’s hotel and restaurant spaces.
Black reinforces depth, elegance, and timelessness. Used strategically, it enhances contrast and provides a bold foundation for the brand’s modern yet minimalistic visuals.
White creates openness and clarity, embodying the refined simplicity that defines Nobu’s approach to hospitality. It ensures that the brand’s communication remains clean, breathable, and effortlessly luxurious.
This palette extends across print and digital applications, from signage and menus to branded collateral, ensuring a cohesive and immersive guest experience.
Black reinforces depth, elegance, and timelessness. Used strategically, it enhances contrast and provides a bold foundation for the brand’s modern yet minimalistic visuals.
White creates openness and clarity, embodying the refined simplicity that defines Nobu’s approach to hospitality. It ensures that the brand’s communication remains clean, breathable, and effortlessly luxurious.
This palette extends across print and digital applications, from signage and menus to branded collateral, ensuring a cohesive and immersive guest experience.
Black reinforces depth, elegance, and timelessness. Used strategically, it enhances contrast and provides a bold foundation for the brand’s modern yet minimalistic visuals.
White creates openness and clarity, embodying the refined simplicity that defines Nobu’s approach to hospitality. It ensures that the brand’s communication remains clean, breathable, and effortlessly luxurious.
This palette extends across print and digital applications, from signage and menus to branded collateral, ensuring a cohesive and immersive guest experience.
Helvetica Neue was chosen as the brand’s primary typeface, reflecting Nobu’s global presence with its clean, modern versatility. The timeless nature of Helvetica Neue aligns with the brand’s design ethos—simple yet intentional, minimal yet striking.
The light and regular weights are used for refined elegance, particularly in guest-facing materials like menus and in-room guides. The bold weights provide strength and clarity in digital applications, ensuring a confident and recognizable brand presence across websites, advertisements, and social media.The balanced, geometric structure of Helvetica Neue enhances readability, maintaining a polished aesthetic across multiple languages, making it ideal for Nobu’s expanding international market.
Helvetica Neue was chosen as the brand’s primary typeface, reflecting Nobu’s global presence with its clean, modern versatility. The timeless nature of Helvetica Neue aligns with the brand’s design ethos—simple yet intentional, minimal yet striking.
The light and regular weights are used for refined elegance, particularly in guest-facing materials like menus and in-room guides. The bold weights provide strength and clarity in digital applications, ensuring a confident and recognizable brand presence across websites, advertisements, and social media.The balanced, geometric structure of Helvetica Neue enhances readability, maintaining a polished aesthetic across multiple languages, making it ideal for Nobu’s expanding international market.
Helvetica Neue was chosen as the brand’s primary typeface, reflecting Nobu’s global presence with its clean, modern versatility. The timeless nature of Helvetica Neue aligns with the brand’s design ethos—simple yet intentional, minimal yet striking.
The light and regular weights are used for refined elegance, particularly in guest-facing materials like menus and in-room guides. The bold weights provide strength and clarity in digital applications, ensuring a confident and recognizable brand presence across websites, advertisements, and social media.The balanced, geometric structure of Helvetica Neue enhances readability, maintaining a polished aesthetic across multiple languages, making it ideal for Nobu’s expanding international market.
Design Approach: Elevated Minimalism with a Sense of Discovery
Inspired by shibui—a Japanese design philosophy that values subtle complexity—the Nobu Hotels identity is minimal yet layered with meaning. The branding was intentionally designed to feel effortless while evoking a sense of discovery, much like the curated guest experience at each Nobu property.
Restraint with Purpose – Every design choice, from color to typography to layout, was made with intention, eliminating excess while enhancing impact. This allows Nobu’s renowned architecture, interiors, and hospitality to remain the focus.
Seamless Integration – The brand identity extends naturally across all touchpoints, from physical signage to digital experiences, printed brochures, and in-room materials. Each interaction feels connected and aligned, reinforcing a holistic luxury experience.
Tactile and Digital Harmony – Print and digital elements work in tandem, ensuring that materials like hotel brochures, key cards, and environmental graphics align visually with online touchpoints such as the website and email marketing campaigns.
From digital interfaces to in-room materials, menus, and signage, the Nobu Hotels identity seamlessly integrates across all brand applications. The result is a visual system that is sophisticated, timeless, and distinctly Nobu.
Design Approach: Elevated Minimalism with a Sense of Discovery
Inspired by shibui—a Japanese design philosophy that values subtle complexity—the Nobu Hotels identity is minimal yet layered with meaning. The branding was intentionally designed to feel effortless while evoking a sense of discovery, much like the curated guest experience at each Nobu property.
Restraint with Purpose – Every design choice, from color to typography to layout, was made with intention, eliminating excess while enhancing impact. This allows Nobu’s renowned architecture, interiors, and hospitality to remain the focus.
Seamless Integration – The brand identity extends naturally across all touchpoints, from physical signage to digital experiences, printed brochures, and in-room materials. Each interaction feels connected and aligned, reinforcing a holistic luxury experience.
Tactile and Digital Harmony – Print and digital elements work in tandem, ensuring that materials like hotel brochures, key cards, and environmental graphics align visually with online touchpoints such as the website and email marketing campaigns.
From digital interfaces to in-room materials, menus, and signage, the Nobu Hotels identity seamlessly integrates across all brand applications. The result is a visual system that is sophisticated, timeless, and distinctly Nobu.
Design Approach: Elevated Minimalism with a Sense of Discovery
Inspired by shibui—a Japanese design philosophy that values subtle complexity—the Nobu Hotels identity is minimal yet layered with meaning. The branding was intentionally designed to feel effortless while evoking a sense of discovery, much like the curated guest experience at each Nobu property.
Restraint with Purpose – Every design choice, from color to typography to layout, was made with intention, eliminating excess while enhancing impact. This allows Nobu’s renowned architecture, interiors, and hospitality to remain the focus.
Seamless Integration – The brand identity extends naturally across all touchpoints, from physical signage to digital experiences, printed brochures, and in-room materials. Each interaction feels connected and aligned, reinforcing a holistic luxury experience.
Tactile and Digital Harmony – Print and digital elements work in tandem, ensuring that materials like hotel brochures, key cards, and environmental graphics align visually with online touchpoints such as the website and email marketing campaigns.
From digital interfaces to in-room materials, menus, and signage, the Nobu Hotels identity seamlessly integrates across all brand applications. The result is a visual system that is sophisticated, timeless, and distinctly Nobu.
“A brand is not just what it looks like and feels like. A brand is how it makes someone feel. “
Marty Neumeier
Branding expert and author of The Brand Gap
