guinness gatehouse

shanghai

“My Goodness, My Guinness”

As world firsts go, Guinness Gatehouse in Shanghai is going to take some beating. Working from an extensive brand pack, and alongside Hot Pickle experiential agency, we were given a unique task.

The story of Guinness can be told in many different ways, but this telling was to be something uniquely different and immersive – a true world first, not just in concept but in experiences too. There are many unique features within the Guinness Gatehouse, all tied together with both the Guinness heritage and Shanghai's own unique style and culture.

Culture and heritage are important to both the people of China and Guinness themselves, so the two needed to be merged as closely and respectfully as possible. We were able to do precisely this by focussing on the iconography and styling of Guinness and Chinese style.

While designing the space, and the 3D models, there were several unique areas that were brought to life. The brand new 1000 square metre Guinness Gatehouse experience includes 5 unique elements.

· Mash Tun Projection Room: this is a 280º projection, showcasing the Guinness heritage, the art of its brewing process and its iconic, world-famous advertising.

· Surge & Settle bar: where visitors can enjoy the infamous Guinness Draught, as well as a large selection of Guinness beers including Foreign Extra Stout, Citra IPA, Hop House 13. Cocktails are also available.

· Back bar: a private-dining room where guests can enjoy an ultimate “Flavour by Fire” experience, surrounded by murals designed by Ken Wong – a young and talented artist from Malaysia.

· Brewers’ dining room: the dining room celebrates the very best of Guinness and food pairings, including the amazing “Guinness & Oysters bar”.

· Guinness Shop: the Guinness shop rounds off the Gatehouse experience, inviting visitors to discover a wide range of Guinness Gatehouse with iconic Guinness gifts.

Each of the 5 unique elements offers the opportunity for guests and visitors to interact with the Guinness brand in new, exciting and fun ways; whether this is achieved by self-pouring your favourite stout, scanning QR codes or having your image etched into the foam of a pint of Guinness.

My rollwas to bring the intent of the brand to life, using 3D modelling to enable the visualisation of the bar and restaurant areas. I worked for Hot Pickle, the project management team, to marry the heritage of Guinness with the traditions and culture of China and Shanghai.

We were able to achieve this by combining the use of graphics, local artists and the use of technology. The technology that we made use of includes the unique 'stoutie' machine, that allows visitors and patrons to have a picture of themselves 'printed' into the foam of the stout.

There are also the now famous Guinness QR code glasses at work here. These QR code glasses are only ‘activated’ when they filled with the Ebony Nectar. When scanned it links with Twitter, Foursquare etc.

The mash tun projection room is an inspired inclusion, showcasing the heritage of Guinness, the brewing process and of course examples of its iconic advertising.

Putting all of the pieces together for the design and 3D modelling brought unique challenges, but challenges made easier with the amazing team at Hot Pickle and the extensive brief provided.

The Guinness Gatehouse itself is something to behold, occupying two floors of a truly unique Guinness experience. An amazing concept, it provides the people of Shanghai, and of course beyond, the means to discover Guinness in a very unique way and to familiarise oneself with the heritage and unrivalled taste of the ‘black stuff’.